On Music Row: Chesney launches clothing line

Also: Dolly to issue box set, the continued rise of downloads and publishers form partnership [From our print edition featured in Monday's City Paper]

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Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney has inspired a clothing line called Blue Chair Bay that is set for an official launch Sept. 1 at the MAGIC Marketplace, a nationwide clothing event in Las Vegas. Reflecting his casual beach lifestyle, the clothing for men and women is described as classic with an emphasis on all-natural fabrics.

During the fashion convention, Blue Chair Bay will showcase inside a tour bus, and Chesney will offer attendees an intimate performance at the Hard Rock Hotel to show who he is and what his music represents.

“We’ve had people approach us in the past [about a clothing line],” said the entertainer. “But it never seemed like something I’d wear… But the people from what became Blue Chair Bay got the things that are important to me… And they let me be involved with the design.”

Included are items such as woven shirts, khakis, shorts, T-shirts and jeans. Well over two years in the works, the clothing colors are said to look like they’ve been baked by the sun and seawater.

Blue Chair Bay has soft launched in select retailers including Fast Buck Freddy’s in Key West, Fla.; Ocean Eddie’s in Gulf Coast, Ala.; and Levy’s in Nashville.

Dolly prepping box set

A four-CD Dolly Parton box set simply titled Dolly, will debut Oct. 27 and will be released through RCA Nashville/Legacy, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Comprising 99 songs, it is the first multi-CD, multi-label deluxe box set compilation ever to represent her life’s work.

Parton is distinguished for having charted at least one Top 5 country hit in each decade since the ’60s. She has also charted at least one No. 1 country hit (if not a dozen) in each decade from the ’70s to the 2000s. In addition to standards like “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” and the Grammy Award-winning “9 To 5,” the box also explores rarely-heard songs Parton cut at age 11 for the Louisiana-based Goldband indie label and at age 16 for Mercury in Nashville.

The package designed for Dolly houses a full-color 60-page booklet with never-before-seen photographs and rare memorabilia. Other box contents include a brief and loving introduction by Nashville-bred singer-songwriter Laura Cantrell and a 5,000-word biographical essay by award-winning writer-editor-producer-lecturer Holly George-Warren.

Paid downloads to pass CDs by 2011

According to market researcher NPD Group, CDs remain the most popular format for paid music purchases, but digital music sales are on track to pass them in less than two years.

CDs comprised 65 percent of all music sold in the first half of 2009 compared to paid digital downloads, which comprised 35 percent. By comparison, paid digital music downloads comprised just 20 percent of sales in 2007 – growing to 30 percent of the music market last year.

NPD Vice President Russ Crupnick said that, “with digital music sales growing at 15 to 20 percent, and CDs falling by an equal proportion, digital music sales will nearly equal CD sales by the end of 2010.”

According to NPD MusicWatch, when it comes to the unit-sales volume of music sold at retail — including paid digital music downloads and CDs — Apple iTunes leads in the U.S. with 25 percent of music units sold, which is up from 21 percent in 2008 and 14 percent in 2007. Wal-Mart (including walmart.com) remains in second position with 14 percent of music volume sold. Best Buy ranked third.

Combustion ventures out with New West

New West Music has acquired an interest in the Combustion Music catalog, resulting in the formation of a new publishing partnership that will be administered worldwide by New West.

Combustion has recently had hit singles from Kings Of Leon (”Sex on Fire” “Use Somebody”) plus four 2009 No. 1 country singles from Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban/Brad Paisley.

New West Music President and Founder “Cameron Strang has always been an independent minded and forward thinking business man,” said Combustion President and Founder Chris Farren. “I am confident that together with New West we will meet the challenges of the new music business while creating as many opportunities for our writers and songs as possible.”

— For more music industry news, visit musicrow.com.