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Promoting Country Music Around the Globe SUPERSTARS CONFIRMED FOR C2C AT THE O2 IN LONDON FOR MARCH 2014 EDMONTON AND CANADIAN FANS CHEER ON CCMA AWARD WINNERS Country-to-Country concert officials have announced that Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Band, the Dixie Chicks, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, and Chris Young are confirmed to participate in the event this coming year, which is set for March 15-16, 2014 Edmonton, Alberta hosted this year's Canadian Country Music Association Awards following three days of education,social events, and networking. There was a real positive attitude about how well the Canadian Country Music scene is growing. This is the second year for the event that debuted in March of this year with critical acclaim. An additional two artists will be announced in coming weeks. Crowd favorite Gord Bamford headed to this year’s Country Music Week® leading the pack with seven nominations. He picked up three 2013 CCMA Awards which were Album of the Year, Single of the Year and CMT Video of the Year. In total, Bamford won five 2013 CCMA Awards, having previously shared a win earlier in the week with Buddy Owens and Ray Stephenson for Songwriter(s) of the Year, and with Byron Hill for Record Producer of the Year. Well-known UK broadcaster Bob Harris will emcee the festival for the second year. The Country Music Association is once again a sponsor. CMA Board President Ed Hardy stated: "CMA is proud of our support and involvement in C2C. The reaction of the fans after the first year and the outstanding support from our artist’s community gives us the opportunity to broaden our music in the UK and Europe. This celebration of country music at The O2 is fast becoming an annual tradition and we are excited to play a part in growing the country music genre in the international marketplace." Dean Brody also came away a winner, taking home top honor as the Male Artist of the Year, while Kira Isabella won Female Artist of the Year. Last year Isabella won the CCMA Rising Star Award, which this year went to newcomer Bobby Wills, who counts the honor as his first-ever CCMA Award win. The Stellas were also recognized as Group or Duo of the Year, rounding out the awards for 2013. The 2013 CCMA Awards Broadcast brought together Canadian country music talent from across the country and included performances by Autumn Hill, Gord Bamford, Jason Blaine, Dean Brody, Chad Brownlee, George Canyon, Emerson Drive, Tim Hicks, High Valley, Kira Isabella, Brett Kissel, Deric Ruttan, Small Town Pistols, Tebey, Dallas Smith and Bobby Wills. There was no shortage of international stars in the crowd either, as multiplatinum artists The Band Perry, Hunter Hayes, and Darius Rucker performed with Hayes and Rucker also presenting awards. The full list of this year's 2013 CCMA Award winners are: Brad Paisley / Ed Hardy BCMA AWARDS DATE SET The 2013 British Country Music Awards are set for November 24th at the Concorde Suite, Heathrow, London. This years nominees for International Act of the Year are Vince Gill, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, The Band Perry, and Rascal Flatts. Fans’ Choice Award Terri Clark Single of the Year "Leaning On A Lonesome Song" Gord Bamford Album of the Year Is It Friday Yet? – Gord Bamford CMT Video of the Year "Leaning On A Lonesome Song" Gord Bamford Female Artist of the Year Kira Isabella Male Artist of the Year Dean Brody Group or Duo of the Year The Stellas CCMA Rising Star Award Bobby Wills Terri Clark Promoting Country Music Around the Globe AUSSIES INVADE THE 2013 AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE Some of Australia’s finest artists and musicians participated in Nashville’s annual Americana Music Festival and Conference, held in and around downtown Nashville, September 18-22. Featured Australian roots artists included The Bushwackers, The Hillbilly Killers, Paul Kelly, Mustered Courage, and Melody Pool. Throughout the week, each artist had their own showcase in addition to the AMA events at various music venues in Nashville such as the BlueBird Café, the Sheraton Hotel, The Second Fiddle, and The Basement. Additional Aussie artists who participated in the week long event included: Bill Chambers, The Borderers, Breaking Hart Benton, Katie Brianna, Gena Rose Bruce, Tracey Bunn, Donna Dean, Melody Feder & Michael Muchow, Sam Hawksley, Damian Howard, Anne McCue, Kelly Menhennett, Cameron Milford, Jen Mize, Tamara Stewart, Emma Swift, and The Weeping Willows. The artists performed at four AMA sanctioned events, including: Tamworth Presents the “Australiana At Americana” showcase at the Bluebird Café, the “Sister (Cities) Are Doing It…” at the Sheraton Listening Lounge, Maton Presents “A Taste of Australia” at The Second Fiddle, and THE AUSSIE BBQ at The Basement. “This great event has become a very important focus for Australia's roots music artists and business people,” said Sounds Australia Project Manager Dobe Newton, “and the hard work is now producing genuine career and business opportunities.” For the fourth consecutive year, Australian music industry and government-supported organization Sounds Australia sponsored the overseas delegation through its partnership with the Nashville-based Americana Music Association. "Sounds Australia's fourth year at the Americana Festival and Conference was a resounding success,” said Newton. “Our 25-strong party of performers, and especially our five showcase artists, were received with great enthusiasm by this very knowledgeable music community. Americana fans now look forward to our yearly involvement, and we're excited already about next year's event. Love you Nashville!", commented Sounds Australia executive Glenn Dickie. "It's been incredible to see and experience Nashville first hand as part of the Americana Music Festival,” said Dickie. “I've met some incredible people here, everyone seems accessible and Nashville is so much more than Music Row. The depth of music and the talent here is exceptional and it's the closest I feel I've come to an American city that has a similar spirit to Australia. I've had some myths crushed, my mind opened and have no doubt that the Australian music industry from the artists and writers to managers, publishers and our thriving creatives could all benefit from establishing ties in this American hub. Thanks to all the Australian artists that more than held their own and thanks to Americana Music Festival for having us again." AUSTRALIAN NEWS BRIEFS Toby Keith will make his first trip to Australia next March to headline the CMC Rocks the Hunter 2014 festival. The lineup also includes US stars Eli Young Band, Kellie Pickler (also making her first visit to Oz), Craig Campbell, Love And Theft and Paul Thorn, along with local stars Lee Kernaghan, Morgan Evans and many more. The festival will be held in the picturesque Hunter Valley winery region on March 14-16. Previous festival headliners have included Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts and Big & Rich. Toby also is set for a massive arena tour of Oz, playing all the major capital cities with a double bill of US special guests – Eli Young Band and Kellie Pickler. There has been overwhelming demand for him to tour from local fans, so tickets for his shows in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne are expected to go fast. Aussie country stars are increasingly recording their albums in Nashville with US producers. Country-rock duo McAlister Kemp, described by John Rich as "one of the best acts to come out of Australia since Keith Urban," just unleashed the first single from their upcoming third album "Harder To Tame." The album was recorded in Nashville with producer Jeremy Stover, whose work includes hits from Jack Ingram and Justin Moore and will be released in 2014. Singer-songwriter Jasmine Rae recently released her Luke Wooten (Dierks Bentley) produced album 'If I Want To,' recorded in Nashville and featuring a duet with Kellie Pickler. Rising local hitmaker Morgan Evans just completed his debut album in Nashville, produced by Aussie ex-pat Jedd Hughes (co-writer of the Keith Urban hit "Put You In A Song"). The CMC Rocks North QLD 2013 festival was held at the Reid Park racetrack on Saturday 28 September, headlined by country icon Alan Jackson. The international lineup also featured Sara Evans (on her first trip down under), Canadian Roots star Corb Lund and the hottest local stars, such as Adam Brand, McAlister Kemp, Jasmine Rae and Morgan Evans. This is the second time the festival has been held in the region. Previously, it was headlined by Tim McGraw. Alan Jackson's 2011 tour of Australia was the fastest selling country tour in that nation's history. He made his triumphant return in September/October, playing to packed arenas in the Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne markets he conquered previously, and expanding his reach to visit fans in North Queensland, Nashville's Australian sister city Tamworth and the rural town of Denilliquin, where he headlined the Deni Ute Muster. Joining Jackson for his arena dates was US hit maker Sara Evans and local star Morgan Evans, one of the hottest male artists in the region. The Australian live debut of The Mavericks was a smash hit with audiences down under. After twenty years of waiting, fans were lined up around the block for their standing room only Sydney show, and they blew the proverbial roof off the Gympie Music Muster, setting a record for CD sales at the festival and stunning fans with their incredible live energy. The band was blown away by the enthusiastic reception and is already making plans for a return tour. Taylor Swift will be in Oz from November 29th through December 14th. She will be the first solo female artist to undertake an Australian stadium tour since Madonna 20 years ago. Promoting Country Music Around the Globe AMA PRESIDENT-ELECT MARK MOFFATT RECAPS THE RECENT FESTIVITIES (From the pen of Mark Moffatt) The 2013 Americana awards, festival and conference week from an international perspective was the best yet. It was certainly the best international attendance and in terms of panels the most positive and constructive. A brief run down of the panels : The International Marketplace panel saw a cross section of management, agency, label and distribution veterans exploring revenue in the international marketplace and their views on growing the music from the U.S. point of view. The Americana in the UK panel was made up of UK based representatives from similar disciplines and primarily covered the impact of the recent growth and acceptance of Americana in the UK and the effect that will have on US and UK based artists. Once again the Sounds Australia folks put in a great effort in getting their artists here and organizing their venues and events. A personal highpoint of the festival was seeing how amazingly great the Bushwackers are as a band - the audience response was enormous and made me wish they could reach a wider audience in the US. On that note I intend to work with the both AMA and Sounds Australia on perhaps consolidating the primary Australian showcase spots and making a feature night which would reduce time slot conflicts and shine a light on Australia both as a source of great music and a destination for Americana artists from around the world. The Canadian contingent once again ran some great events. The BreakOut West party and showcase featuring JJ Voss, Ruth Moody and Joe Nolan was a great success and really cemented the addition of The Groove’s backyard stage as an addition to the Americana venue line up. I'd like to thank everyone involved as these panels, showcases and events keep international matters on the front burner of AMA agenda, something which can often be difficult in such busy times. The Communion Music US panel discussed the communal philosophy behind the industry - it's massive success in the UK and how this model is being accepted in a largely individualistic culture like the US. The underlying thread seemed to be that the Communion artists are of a generation where this kind of co-operative business practice is highly acceptable. The Americana's Global Reach panel focused on how the term Americana is being accepted more and more in the worldwide marketplace. The panel discussed the growing importance of the format and how the music and semantics do not always coincide with each other with the diverse cross section of panelists offering very interesting perspectives on this issue. The Global Reach panel was a particular favorite of mine as it produced some great suggestions and solutions to the disconnect in many markets between our music and the term Americana. Everyone agreed that their people love the music but many felt strongly that the AMA will need to do some market research and positioning in their countries in order to achieve acceptance of the brand. Most felt that in time the music will speak for itself. The formation of the Americana Music Association UK has raised awareness of the genre there. I saw a consensus for the first time among the UK attendees and panelists regarding the growth and acceptance of Americana music in their home territory. The participation this year of British Underground and BBC Introducing was a big step forward and it was gratifying to see UK artists getting such great audience reactions and creating a presence here. At the annual Australian BBQ held at the Basement on the final day of the Americana Festival are executives: Gina Mendello (CPR Entertainment), Mark Moffatt (Big Dog Studios and Americana Board President-elect) with performers: Kelly Menhennett, Anne McCue & Emma Swift The Americana Global Reach panel featured a cross section of panelists from around the world. Pictured L to R: Hakan Olsson (Rootsy Sweden), Martin Jones (Rhythms Australia), Will Hodgkinson (The Time, London, UK), Moderator Jeff Walker (The AristoMedia Group, USA), Ron Kitchener (RGK Entertainment, Canada), and Edgar Heckmann (Blue Rose Records, Germany). Promoting Country Music Around the Globe ARISTO Q&A WITH SISTER CITIES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR HEATHER COCHRAN CUNNINGHAM Heather Cochran Cunningham has served as executive director of Sister Cities of Nashville for five years. Prior to that, she worked in the non-profit sector in Alabama, serving as executive director of an educational enrichment foundation for five years. She also had her own marketing and public relations consulting business in Nashville, where she worked with non-profits including the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, among others. She began her career in New York City where she worked in advertising at Young & Rubicam for two years, followed by a seven-year stint at Ruder Finn Public Relations, where she served as vice president overseeing international clients including the Italian Trade Commission, the Austrian Trade Commission, the Spanish Trade Commission, BMW, and the St. James’ Club. Ms. Cunningham received her B.A. in Journalism/Advertising from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 1. What is the function of the organization? Sister Cities of Nashville (SCN) is a volunteer organization that connects Nashvillians with people around the world through exchanges, cultural programs, and partnerships. We serve as citizen diplomats with a goal of promoting peace through mutual understanding, respect and cooperation. Affiliated with Metro Nashville government, we strive to bring world perspectives to the local community while welcoming our international visitors and showing them the best of Nashville. 2. Give a brief history of the organization. Sister Cities of Nashville was founded in 1990 and is a chapter of Sister Cities International, which was founded in 1956 by President Dwight Eisenhower as a way to promote peace through citizen diplomacy. The president of the United States is the Honorary Chairman of Sister Cities International. The mayor of Nashville is SCN’s Honorary Chairman. Prior to the official SCN founding, contacts existed between Nashville universities and the University of Caen in France and between the Bar associations in the two cities. By the late 1980s, there was already an active, on-going relationship. Caen, France thus was Nashville's first active partnership and it became an official sister city in 1991. However, the first official sister city was Edmonton, Canada. The Nashville mayor’s office had established a committee to search for sister city candidates when a member of the Edmonton city council contacted the Nashville mayor’s office and proposed a sister city relationship. Both sides were enthusiastic and had a shared music interest. We have continued to grow the organization, not only increasing the number of sister city partners, but establishing educational and cultural opportunities for members in the community and providing unique cultural, civic, professional, and educational exchanges for our members with our sister city partners. The list goes on and on as far as the types of exchanges we have enabled –musicians, artists, educators, students, elected officials, business executives, tourism officials, athletes, etc. 3. What are Nashville’s sister cities? Nashville has seven official sister cities (listed in order of establishment as sister city): Edmonton, Canada; Caen France; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Magdeburg, Germany; Taiyuan, China; Mendoza, Argentina; and Tamworth, Australia. Additionally, we have two friendship cities: Crouy, France and Port de la Selva, Spain 4. Explain the bond between each of these cities with Nashville Each sister city partnership has many legs. Music, culture and education are recurring themes through most of our partnerships. With Caen, there is the active professional partnership between our two Bar associations. Additionally we implement annual reciprocal high school student exchanges, and both mayors’ offices host college interns over the summer. Mayors of Nashville and other civic leaders have participated in the 60th and 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy along with other world leaders. And we have had many musicians perform at the Caen International Fair and other showcases while also hosting some of their country musicians. For Belfast, the original intent when established as a sister city in 1995 was to help Belfast promote peace in their city and rebuild a social foundation for its youth. An early significant program was the youth exchange that encouraged teenagers of both Catholic and Protestant faiths to come to Nashville and live/work together to overcome the bias against each other that prevailed in Belfast. Music is at the core of the partnership now with focus on music industry educational exchanges and performance opportunities including the Belfast/ Nashville Songwriters Showcase and the Belfast Music Festival. University connections are strong as well with Vanderbilt and Queens University broadening their partnership which began through the Sister Cities relationship. Promoting Country Music Around the Globe 5. Are there any territories that you would like to see represented by Sister Cities? We currently have two “candidate cities,” meaning we have engaged in a number of exchanges with the goal to become either an official sister city or friendship city. These cities are Kamakura, Japan and Gwangjin-gu, which is a district of Seoul, South Korea. Frequently we have members of the community inquire about other partnerships. We encourage them to form a citizens group to investigate interest from both cities in creating exchanges. Our most successful partnerships are those that have a strong grass-roots component. Recently, we have had inquiries about sister city partnerships in Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Brazil, Italy, Turkey and India. We do not have a partnership on the African continent so that would be an interesting one to explore. The Magdeburg partnership has featured a high-school student exchange program as well as artistic, musical, cultural and social services exchanges. Country and classical musicians have been involved in exchanges. In October of 2009, in recognition of the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nashville hosted a photographic exhibit, film premiere, puppet theater production, and civil rights panel discussion, all celebrating the themes of human freedom and non-violent social protest. Another unique facet of this partnership is the creation of an opportunity for young German men to satisfy their military obligation by completing a social services year at the inner city agency the Martha O'Bryan Center. The Mendoza partnership has featured several exchanges between members of our symphonies to learn and perform with their sister city counterpart. We have also implemented regular civic, high school and college exchanges with Mendoza. The partnership between Nashville and Taiyuan builds on a longstanding economic and regional partnership established between Tennessee and Shanxi Province in the 1980s. Since established as a sister city in 2009, our cities have engaged in civic delegation visits, cultural/tourism exchanges and email/pen-pal educational exchanges. In July 2013, SCN launched our first high school student exchange to Taiyuan; and Nashville will host their students in February 2014. Music is at the core of the Tamworth and Nashville partnership, as both are heralded as Country Music Capitals and host major annual country music festivals and awards programs. We’ve swapped musical talent informally for years and will continue as we move forward. Future plans include educational exchanges; commercial sector and equine trade exchanges. The Edmonton partnership started due to musical and civic interest. We hope to re-invigorate this partnership through our shared country music interests. 6. Is there criteria for becoming a sister city? Most importantly is the interest by citizens and organizations in each city to develop and maintain meaningful exchanges of mutual interest. A group of citizens can approach SCN about founding a new sister city relationship, but all sister city proposals to the Mayor and Metro Council must come through SCN. The individuals should have membership in SCN, and the SCN Board of Directors needs to recognize the formation of a new sister city committee. After that is established, the committee can begin its due diligence and organize events, delegation visits and exchanges. Once agreed that a strong foundation has been laid and there is broad-based support, formal recognition can follow, with a resolution passed by the Metro Council and the mayors signing a treaty. Both cities should be dues-paying members of Sister Cities International. Following the signing of the treaty, the cities send a copy to Sister Cities International. 7. How does the Nashville Sister City organization interact with the music industry? Sister Cities of Nashville has worked with the music industry in a number of ways over the years. Through SCN, many local musicians have performed in our sister cities at festivals and events. We have worked with organizations such as the Nashville Symphony, CMA and Americana on musician exchanges and performances. We have worked with our sister city partners in Caen and Tamworth, for example, in setting up meetings with industry executives and agents when they are seeking talent to come perform in their city. SCN also promotes the many talented songwriters who participate in the Belfast Nashville Showcase when they perform at area venues. The formation of the Music City Music Council is something that several of our sister cities want to emulate, and we have arranged discussions and travel opportunities to assist with those efforts. And, in our efforts to show the best of Nashville to our visiting international adult and high school age delegates, we work with organizations like the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and local recording studios to provide tours. Finally, Sister Cities of Nashville will annually host house concerts as fundraisers for the organization, providing a venue for a local artist to perform. 8. How can people get involved in the organization? Sister Cities of Nashville is a membership-based organization. Anyone interested in supporting our mission and participating in our programs can join. The annual membership is $50; members receive monthly emails with information about delegation visits, international travel opportunities; and events and activities locally that SCN is hosting. Also, they can specify which sister cities they are most interested in and they can participate in SCN city committee meetings. Additionally, we have many volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Information is constantly being updated on our Facebook page and website (www.scnashville.org); people can follow us and learn about our special events, fundraisers and concerts. Promoting Country Music Around the Globe GSTAAD/SWITZERLAND UPDATE The 25th Anniversary of Country Night Gstaad was held in Gstaad, Switzerland on September 20-22, 2013. A stellar lineup of U.S. entertainers including Gretchen Wilson, LeAnn Rimes, The Time Jumpers and Flynnville Train performed at this year's event. Flynnville Train opened the show with a high-energy performance that had the entire audience on their feet clapping and asking for more. LeAnn Rimes took the stage next and performed a flawless set of her hits despite the fact that she had broken two fingers earlier in the day. The Time Jumpers made their international debut and were warmly received by the Swiss audience as each member took the spotlight and showcased their musical genius. Gretchen Wilson closed the evening with a high energy set featuring songs from her new CD as well as her many hits. All the entertainers received numerous standing ovations and requests for encores. Marcel Bach, the President of Country Night Gstaad, was honored for his 25 years of supporting country music with certificates of recognition from the CMA, ACM, Grammy's, the Mayor of Nashville, and the Governor of Tennessee. UK TOURING UPDATE Kacey Musgraves is making her first trip to the UK in October with dates set for Glasgow, Manchester, London, and Dublin. The Band Perry has dates in several UK cities in late November and early December, including an appearance at the HMV Forum in London on December 2nd. This is part of a broader European tour, which includes shows in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, German, Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands. Singer-songwriter Will Banister will be touring the UK later this month with country legend Gene Watson. The Clovis, New Mexico based artist is rapidly developing a solid following in the UK. Taylor Swift will be bringing her RED Tour to the UK and Europe in the coming months. DOBE NEWTON / "HONORARY NASHVILLLIAN" EDMONTON ACTION During the recent CCMA activities, AristoMedia CEO, Jeff Walker presented a letter from Mayor Karl Dean of Nashville on behalf of the Sister Cities of Nashville to Edmonton, Alberta Mayor, Stephen Mandel. Mayor Mandel in return issued a proclamation declaring Country Music Week in Edmonton. Pictured at the exchange are Don Green - President CCMA, Walker, Mandel, and Ted Ellis - CCMA Board Chairman during the event. AMERICANA AWARDS 2013 Album of the Year: "Old Yellow Moon," Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell Artist of the Year: Dwight Yoakam Duo Group of the Year: Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell Song of the Year: "Birmingham," Shovels & Rope Emerging Artist of the Year: Shovels & Rope Instrumentalist of the year: Larry Campbell Trailblazer Award: Old Crow Medicine Show Spirit of Americana / Free Speech in Music Award (co-presented by the AMA / First Amendment Center): Stephen Stills Lifetime Achievement for Instrumentalist: Duane Eddy Lifetime Achievement Award for Executive: Chris Strachwitz Lifetime Achievement for Performance: Dr. John Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriter: Robert Hunter President's Award: Hank Williams MCALISTER KEMP SHOWCASE Sounds Australia Representative Dobe Newton received an “Honorary Nashvillian” certificate from Mayor Karl Dean that was presented by Sister Cities Executive Director, Heather CochranCunningham. Newton has been a leader in organizing the Australian delegation to the Americana Festival since 2009. Aussie Duo, McAlister Kemp, recently showcased at Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley to a standing room only crowd. Pictured following the performance were Drew McAlister, Producer Jeremy Stover, Troy Kemp, Manager Denise Torenbeek, and AristoMedia CEO Jeff Walker. Promoting Country Music Around the Globe Sounds Australia Americana Highlights Jeff Walker (AristoMedia President/CEO), Glenn Dickie (Left) Glenn Dickie of Sounds Australia with Damian Howard performs for an enthusiastic audience (Sounds Australia), Sam Hawksley, Katie Brianna, performers at the Maton Presents “A Taste of at the Sounds Australia Second Fiddle Event. The Emma Swift, Gena Rose Bruce, Andrew Wriggleswoth Australia” Showcase during recent Americana week talented singer/songwriter was one of the 25 Aussie and Laura Coates (The Weeping Willows), Jen Mize, activities. Pictured with Dickie from L to R: Damian artists who received a very positive reception. Dobe Newton, Mike David(Breaking Hart Benton), Howard, Catherine Britt, Melody Pool, Dobe Newton & Donna Dean, Bill Page (Mushroom Music), Lee Fielding The Bushwackers (Breaking Hart Benton), and Erika Wollam Nichols (Bluebird, COO/President). Dobe Newton (SA), Anne McCue, Cameron Milford, Jim Lauderdale joins with the Bushwackers in song at Sharing a posed moment at the Aussie BBQ at the Gena Rose Bruce, Paul Kelly, Tamara Stewart, Michael the Music City Roots event - Live from the Loveless Basement during the Americana Festival. Dobe Muchow, Melody Feder, Tracey Bunn, Glenn Dickie Cafe. Newton, Roots Exporters John Lomax III, Artist (SA) and Kelly Menhennett. Manager Gina Mandello and Sounds Australia's Glenn Dickie. The 8-hour event hosted performances by more than a dozen Australian artists. The Aristo International Report is published four times per year by The AristoMedia Group, P.O. Box 22765 Nashville, TN, 37202. Publisher: Jeff Walker | Editorial Staff: Jon Walker, Christy Watkins, Matt Watkins & Amanda Breeden. Contributors include Jeremy Dylan, Judy Seale, Mark Moffatt, Dobe Newton, Jimmy Chapin and Rob Davis. Photo credits include Christy Watkins, Denise Fussell & Grant W. Martin Photography Please submit your international Country music news items for consideration to: global@aristomedia.com and visit our website at www.aristomedia.com. Promoting Country Music Around the Globe The Band Perry rocked the house and earned a standing ovation at the CCMA Award Show. Michelle Wright gets it right while presenting on the Edmonton CCMA Awards Stage. Jaida Dreyer and Mackenzie Porter show why the future of Canadian Country is looking very glamourous. Dallas Smith – Born in Langley, British Columbia, Dallas spent nearly 10 years fronting the alternative music group Default before taking the leap into country. His debut Canadian country album Jumped Right In has received critical acclaim North of the border. His debut U.S. track "Tippin Point" will reach radio stations very soon. Kira Isabella won the CCMA’s Female Artist of the Year following a win in 2012 for CCMA Rising Star. Born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, she is not only an accomplished singer but a seasoned writer as well. Signed to Sony Canada, she is spending more time of late in Nashville where a U.S. recording deal will soon be announced. CANADIAN ARTISTS TO WATCH Tim Hicks – Hailing from St. Catharines, Ontario, Hicks is rapidly building a base for himself with tracks like, “Throw Down”, “Stronger Beer”, and “Get By”. He records for Open Road Recordings in Canada and is managed by the RGK Entertainment Group.