Lipscomb student wins CMA Close Up Award of Merit

The 2012 Country Music Awards wasn’t just for recognizing country music stars. Lipscomb’s own Caitlin Selle was honored with the 2012 CMA Close Up Award of Merit backstage at the show. The award was created in 2007 to honor the student journalist or photojournalist who demonstrated the most creativity, dedication, and promise in covering the CMA Music Festival on assignment from CMA. This was the second year Selle, a junior, interned for CMA. She was selected among nine others to be on the “Team of Merit.” The CMA staff voted on which intern from the team had the best work, and the staff chose Selle’s work over all of the others. Bob Doerschuk, editor of CMA Close Up, presented her with the award during the backstage press conference coverage of the 46th Annual CMA Awards on Thursday, Nov. 1, at Bridgestone Arena. After the press conference, Selle said she was asked to stay and cover the event for CMA. “CMA is proud to foster up-and-coming music journalists and photojournalists by offering them the tools and opportunities to hone their skills,” said Wendy Pearl, CMA Vice President of Corporate Communications. “Caitlin has solid journalistic skills, with plenty of impressive clips in her catalog,” said Doerschuk. “And as a photographer, she shows a rare gift for capturing everyday images, whether of live music or quiet landscapes, with originality and poetic sensibility. The fact that she works extremely well under pressure, with poise, confidence and patience under demanding circumstances, makes her an ideal candidate for our award.” Selle spoke modestly about her accomplishment, mentioning the talent of the other photojournalists. “I didn’t think...
[Photos] CMA Fest 2012

[Photos] CMA Fest 2012

Cowboy hats, cutoff blue jeans, cowboy boots, country music stars, street performers, locals and people from out of state and out of the country. Each summer country music fans flock to Nashville for the CMA Fest.  With a record of 71,000 daily patrons, this year’s CMA Fest attendance jumped over nine percent from last year. Here are some photos from the Riverfront and Broadway festivities.          ...
Concerts, festivals, artists tuning up for post-COVID return

Concerts, festivals, artists tuning up for post-COVID return

COVID  left most Tennessee residents and tourists and performers saying goodbye to the 2020 entertainment scene in Nashville. Now, it’s 2021. Forty-five percent of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated and 53% of the population has received one dose of the vaccine. As the world continues to slowly go back to normal, so does Music City. With venues being reopened, artists getting out of the studios and their homes and fans ready to cheer, big name concerts and festivals are making a grand comeback to Tennessee. Here’s a sampling: Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th @ Downtown Nashville – July 4 The free concert is the city’s first major post-pandemic event and will be headlined by country music star Brad Paisley. Lily Hiatt, Regi Wooten and Friends, Priscilla Block, and more will also take the stage. The event will also feature the Nashville Symphony in a synchronized performance with what officials are heralding as the largest fireworks display in Nashville’s history. Lifest Music City @ Hideaway Farm – July 29-31 Originating in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Lifest extends Music City for the very first time with Lifest Music City. The Christian music festivals are presented by nonprofit organization Life Promotions, focused on supporting mental health and wellness in today’s youth. With three days filled with music and fun, Lifest gives the option to its concert goers to camp on the festival grounds. The festival will include performances from Newsboys, Skillet, Lecrae, Sidewalk Prophets, Mandisa, Matthew West, Michael W. Smith, and more. Luke Bryan @ Bridgestone Arena – July 30 Fresh off his third ACM Entertainer of the...
Music gets muffled by COVID-19 pandemic; Festivals, clubs and even Rolling Stones silenced

Music gets muffled by COVID-19 pandemic; Festivals, clubs and even Rolling Stones silenced

COVID-19 has pretty much eliminated the month of June for music festival goers in Middle Tennessee and around the country. And the rest of the summer is in question as well. Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, the massive four-day celebration of all forms of music and entertainment had been scheduled to take place June 11-14 down at The Farm in Manchester. But this year, because of the pandemic, the festival was moved to September 24-27, in hopes the virus will have run its course by then. Tickets for the festival, which generally reaches near-sellout (80,000 or so proportions), will be honored for September’s new date. “Please continue to radiate positivity through this uncharted time in our world. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you on The Farm (the pastureland where the annual festivities are held) this fall,” reads a message posted on the festival’s web site. Even more disastrous to Nashville economy and for fans of country music is the news that the annual CMA Fest was canceled completely for this summer, ending a 48-year run. “As the world is still greatly affected by the spread of COVID-19, we cannot in good conscience risk the health and well-being of our fans, artists, staff and country music community,” is the statement from the Country Music Association. More than 40,000 fans annually attend each of the four nights’ “big concerts” in Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. But there are many other fans who come to the city and fill up hotel rooms and honky-tonks for affiliated activities —...
Olivia’s Way: Summer internships to plan for

Olivia’s Way: Summer internships to plan for

It’s one of the most stressful times of the year: internship season. Not stressful for us, though, because I’m about to let you in on some tips, tricks and advice that will change your (intern) life. Nashville, or Music City, is one of the best cities to be in when it comes to internships or job opportunities. What this city does best is music, lots and lots of music. Music is what draws many students to Nashville in the first place. Whether your dream is to take the world by storm on stage, talk strategy in music business, manage talented people, or anything in the melody realm, there are some great ways to get plugged in ASAP. First, don’t be afraid to do some digging. Even the smallest companies, labels or management firms can give you great experience. Yes, we all know the labels on Music Row or companies like UMG and Warner Music (all incredible places to work), but aren’t you curious about all of the less-known places? I’ve got a great one for you: Global Eyes Entertainment. The smaller the company, the more wiggle room to try new things and take the lead. With GEE, I worked directly with the CEO and was able to pick my own projects, build a relationship, tag along to rehearsals and in the end, run the PR branch of the company with my boss. I started out as just a social media intern and I probably would have never had these awesome opportunities if I had interned under a name-brand label. Like I said, there’s nothing wrong with big companies. They’re...