Everyone who thinks "hey, don't worry, bands and labels can make up all that money lost from dropping-like-a-stone CD sales on the road"—and even people who have
some semblance of sense—should read this
Oregonian piece on the effects of high gas prices on touring bands, which contains factoids like this: "But a $200 door guarantee doesn't stretch nearly as far these days. [Portland duo] Talkdemonic, for example, travels in a van that gets close to 17 miles a gallon on the highway 'if we don't drive over 70 mph,' O'Connor says. Covering the 635 miles to San Francisco takes about 37 gallons of gas each way. With gas well over $4, that's more than $300 for a round trip." (Hey, you know what can make up that shortfall? Selling CDs! Oh, wait.) [
The Oregonian / Photo:
Jamie Carroll]
The nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards were announced this morning, and Kenny Chesney was the big winner, scoring 12 nominations including nods for Entertainer of the Year and Top Male Vocalist. Other big nominees include Rodney Atkins (six), Brad Paisley (four), and Idolator fave Miranda Lambert (three); Kelly Clarkson also got a nod for the version of "Because Of You" that she performed with Reba McEntire. (Click the photo of Chesney for the full slate of nominees.) [
Official site / Photo: AP]
"Billboard has learned that today's SoundScan Building Chart indicates first-day sales of 437,000 for West's "Graduation," 310,000 for 50 Cent's "Curtis" and 107,000 for Chesney's "Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates." The Building Charts offer an indication of how races shape up each week for SoundScan's final charts, which post projected national sales each Wednesday morning, extrapolated from a panel of merchants that represents more than 90% of the U.S. music market." [
Billboard.biz]
Kenny Chesney fans are apparently into the singer as much for the nonstop, $15, yard-long margaritas as they are for his lite country-pop. I'd also start drinking whisky until blood shot from my pupils if confronted with the prospect of having to sit through a Kenny Chesney concert. [
Chicago Sun-Times]
Idolator
Sure, Kenny Chesney may have won his fourth straight Entertainer Of The Year Award at last night's Academy of Country Music Awards, but he's not all that happy with it! Why? Because he feels like the newly introduced element of fan voting has turned the award "into a sweepstakes to see who can push people's buttons the hardest on the Internet," instead of recognition from the winner's peers. If he'd added in "and a gimmick to cheaply drive up traffic to whatever Web site is hosting the awards for future purposes of advertising pitches," I would be in 100% agreement with him!
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