(Nashville, Tenn. – Dec. 10, 2012) Nashville-based dance club promotion and marketing company Marco Club Connection is welcoming a diverse lineup of artists to the Country Dance World Championships, held in Nashville Dec. 31 – Jan. 6.

Colt Ford, Jamie O’Neal, Rachele Lynae, Amber Hayes, Bobby Cyrus, Craig Morrison and The Lacs are among the artists confirmed for meet-and-greets at the Marco Club Connection booth, located in the exhibition hall inside the Opryland Resort and Convention Center.  Club Connection will host a series of artists in multiple half-hour blocks Jan. 4 and 5.  Visit www.MarcoClubConnection.com for the most up-to-date schedule of appearances.

“The Country dance club community is really growing and evolving,” says Marco Club Connection Manager/Venue Marketing Bobbe Morhiser.  “You can see by the variety of artists we have appearing at WORLDS this year that the music is crossing over and incorporating different genres that weren’t associated with this format even five years ago.  Some acts are launching careers out of the dance clubs, which is truly a phenomenal accomplishment for a Country artist.”

The annual Country Dance World Championships, known as WORLDS, is an annual convention that rotates between cities every two years.  WORLDS is held in Nashville for 2013-2014.  The event features social dancing, workshops, competitions, shows, shopping, exhibitions, a New Year’s Eve party and more.  The exhibition hall and booths are open and free to the public this year for the first time.

Award-winning singer-songwriter Jamie O’Neal and rising Country star Rachele Lynae will entertain attendees on Saturday night, Jan. 5, with a special live performance at the convention’s Variety Show, one of the week’s most anticipated events.  Both acts will be on hand prior to the performance to sign autographs at the Marco Club Connection booth.

Registration is available on-site and at the official WORLDS website: www.UCWDCWorlds.com.

About Marco Club Connection:
A division of Nashville-based secondary radio promotion company, Marco Promotions, Club Connection specializes in marketing dance club singles to nightclubs and dance venues across the country.  Club Connection maintains a national database of more than 240 venues and world-renowned dance instructor contacts, reaching more than 200,000 club patrons each weekend.  For more information, visit: www.MarcoClubConnection.com.

(Nashville, Tenn. – Jan. 9, 2012) Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton topped the list of dance club hits in 2011, according to the Marco Club Connection’s 8th annual ranking of Country dance favorites.

Every December, the Nashville-based company surveys a panel of nearly 250 club owners, DJs and dance instructors from across the country to compile its rankings.  Overall votes by the panel determine each song’s placement on the list.

“The added emphasis on dance in the music videos for this year’s top club hits was hugely popular with club DJs and choreographers,” says Club Connection Manager of Venue Marketing, Bobbe Morhiser.  “By featuring dancers and dance clubs in the videos, these records leave a lasting connection with fans that dancing and Country music are a natural match.”

The 2011 Marco Club Connection Top Ten Country Dance Club Hits are:

1. Luke Bryan – “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”
2. Blake Shelton – “Footloose”
3. Big & Rich – “Fake ID”
4. Blake Shelton – “Honey Bee”
5. Gloriana – “Wanna Take You Home”
6. Billy Currington – “Love Done Gone”
7. Jason Aldean – “Dirt Road Anthem”
8. Dierks Bentley – “Am I The Only One”
9. The Lacs – “Kickin’ Up Mud”
10. Chris Young – “You”

“We are thrilled that ‘Country Girl (Shake It For Me)’ was selected as the No. 1 dance song of the year,” says Capitol/EMI Records Director of Media and Public Relations, Taryn Pray.  “This single took Luke Bryan to the next level, and it’s great to have the recognition of the dance club community.”

Peter Strickland, Sr. VP Brand Management & Sales for Warner Music Nashville echoed the excited sentiments of his colleagues at Capitol: “What a great way to start off 2012 finding out Warner Music Nashville has four of the Top 5 dance songs. Congratulations to Big & Rich, Gloriana and Blake Shelton.”

A complete archive of Club Connection’s Top Ten Country Dance Club Hits by year can be viewed at www.MarcoClubConnection.com.

About Marco Club Connection:
A division of secondary radio promotion company, Marco Promotions, Club Connection specializes in marketing dance club singles to nightclubs and dance venues across the country.  Club Connection maintains a national database of more than 240 venues and world-renowned dance instructor contacts, reaching more than 200,000 club patrons each weekend.  For more information, visit: www.MarcoClubConnection.com.

New Allen Morgan-produced track distributed to nearly 250 outlets via Marco Club Connection

(Nashville, Tenn. – Aug. 11, 2011) Bigride Records artist Marlee Scott has released a special dance club remix of her debut U.S. single, “Beautiful Maybe,” to more than 240 DJs, club owners and dance instructors through Marco Club Connection.

Produced and remixed by veteran producer/mixer/programmer Allen Morgan (Dolly Parton, Reba, Taylor Swift, Jack Ingram), the dance version of “Beautiful Maybe” capitalizes on the song’s high-energy mix and Scott’s Pop-influenced vocal delivery.  Listen here.

“Marlee has such a strong voice, and I really wanted to bring that out in this mix,” says Morgan. “This song has a really rich sound quality.  ‘Beautiful Maybe’ just makes you want to move!”

Adds Marco Club Connection Manager/Venue Marketing Bobbe Morhiser, “We were thrilled to have Allen Morgan remix ‘Beautiful Maybe’ for our clubs and the more than 200,000 patrons that will be exposed each weekend to this energetic new dance mix.  Allen’s enthusiasm for this record, and for Marlee, really shines through on this project, and we couldn’t be more excited.”

Marco Club Connection, a Nashville-based dance venue marketing company, is promoting the special remix to more than 240 club owners, DJs and dance instructors across the U.S.  Since 2004, Club Connection has operated as a division of secondary radio promotion company, Marco Promotions, and has worked successful remix singles for acts including Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Reba, Dierks Bentley, Gloriana and more.

The Country radio version of Scott’s “Beautiful Maybe” was produced by David Kalmusky (Journey, Emerson Drive, The Wilkinsons) and was written by chart-topping Nashville songwriters Marcus Hummon (Rascal Flatts, Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw), Tia Sillers (Dixie Chicks, Pam Tillis, Lee Ann Womack) and Tania Hancheroff.   The radio single continues to move up Music Row’s CountryBreakout chart, and the Wes Anderson-directed video can be seen here at CMT.com.

The Ontario native is also traveling to Canada for the CCMA Awards and Country Music Week, where she is participating in a number of events Sept. 9-12.   A Nashville resident since 2007, Scott has been traveling across the U.S. on a national radio tour since June in support of “Beautiful Maybe.”

Visit www.MarleeScott.com for more information.

About Marco Club Connection:
A division of secondary radio promotion company, Marco Promotions, Club Connection specializes in marketing dance club singles to nightclubs and dance venues across the country.  Club Connection maintains a national database of more than 240 venues and world-renowned dance instructor contacts, reaching more than 200,000 club patrons each weekend.  For more information, visit: www.MarcoClubConnection.com.

Bigride Records artist Marlee Scott.  Photo: Dexter Quinto

(Nashville, Tenn. – Jan. 11, 2011) Marco Club Connection, a Nashville-based Country music dance venue marketing company, has released its seventh annual Top Ten list of the year’s most requested Country dance club songs.

Each year in December, Club Connection surveys a panel of more than 240 club owners, DJs and dance instructors from across the country to compile its Top Ten rankings.

“As Country music continues to incorporate more and more of a Pop element, the dance clubs can be a very important tool in breaking an artist,” says Club Connection Venue Marketing Specialist Bobbe Morhiser.  “Look no further than Laura Bell Bundy for proof of that.  ‘Giddy On Up’ was huge in the dance clubs, and for a brand new artist to place in Club Connection’s top five at the end of the year is very impressive.”

The results of the 2010 Top Ten Country Dance Club Hits are:

1. “Stuck Like Glue” – Sugarland
2. “All About Tonight” – Blake Shelton
3. “Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins
4. “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum
5. “Giddy On Up” – Laura Bell Bundy
6. “Country Done Come To Town” – John Rich
7. “Roll With It” – Easton Corbin
8. “Why Don’t We Just Dance” – Josh Turner
9. “Turn On The Radio” – Reba
10. “Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer” – Billy Currington

“All of the songs on Club Connection’s Top Ten list have been in heavy rotation at Wild Bills for most of the year,” says Dwight Philpott, one of the DJs at Wild Bills in Atlanta, Ga.  “We play these songs every single night, because these are the ones that always pack our dance floor.”

Songs to top the list in previous years include Zac Brown Band’s “Toes” (2009), Alan Jackson’s “Good Time” (2008), Josh Turner’s “Firecracker” (2007), Steve Holy’s “Brand New Girlfriend” (2006), Trace Adkins’ “Honkytonk Badonkadonk” (2005) and Big & Rich’s “Save a Horse (Ride A Cowboy)” (2004).

A complete archive of Club Connection’s Top Ten Country Dance Club Hits can be viewed at www.MarcoClubConnection.com.

About Marco Club Connection:
A division of secondary radio promotion company, Marco Promotions, Club Connection specializes in marketing dance club singles to nightclubs and dance venues across the country.  Club Connection maintains a national database of more than 240 venues and world-renowned dance instructor contacts, reaching more than 200,000 club patrons each weekend.  For more information, visit: www.MarcoClubConnection.com.

Contest solicits fans for their best pick-up lines, offers chance to win free downloads, autographed prize packs

(Nashville, TN – July 12, 2010)  Warner Music Nashville and Marco Club Connection have teamed up to create Reprise recording artist Blake Shelton’s “All About Tonight” Come-On Contest, with a chance for fans to win free downloads and autographed Shelton memorabilia.

The “All About Tonight” Come-On Contest and promotion consists of a unique online and dance club component.  In the online contest, fans call in to a special hotline at (615) 942-0746 and record their best pick-up lines, which Shelton reviews each week.  The winning submissions are announced on Blake’s Tuesday Take Six Webisodes, with winners receiving a Reprise Records prize pack containing autographed Blake Shelton swag.  Callers who record a message also receive a link to download “All About Tonight” for free.

The contest, organized by Marco Club Connection and held in more than 200 Country dance venues across the country, was originally geared towards club patrons, but exploded in popularity when Shelton began posting about it on Twitter and Facebook.  Warner Music Nashville subsequently expanded the contest so that online fans could participate through the singer’s official website at www.BlakeShelton.com.  Listen to this week’s winning online submission here.

“The ‘All About Tonight’ Come-On Contest is a unique effort to involve fans at the club level, built around Blake’s well-known sense of humor and active fan base,” says Kelli Cashiola, VP of Brand Management, Warner Music Nashville.

As part of the dance venue promotions, clubs are hosting their own in-house “All About Tonight” Come-On Contests in August.  Club-goers will have the opportunity to deliver their favorite pick-up lines in front of a live audience, who will then vote on the best submission for a chance to win an official prize pack.  Details of the club contests vary from venue to venue.

“The feedback that we’re getting from our clubs is that they’re having a really great time with this contest,” says Club Connection Manager of Venue Marketing, Bobbe Morhiser.  “People are getting a kick out of hearing their pick-up lines on Blake’s website, which range from hilarious to corny to a little racy, and then there are some that are just plain confusing.  They’re all entertaining, though!”

“All About Tonight” is Shelton’s debut single from his forthcoming SIX PAK release, All About Tonight, due out Aug. 10.  The song follows “Hillbilly Bone,” which won an Academy of Country Music and CMT Award and features Shelton’s longtime friend, Trace Adkins.  “All About Tonight” is currently a Top 10 hit on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

To hear all of Shelton’s fan submissions or get an embeddable widget for your site, visit www.MarcoClubConnection.com or www.BlakeShelton.com.

About Marco Club Connection:
A division of secondary radio promotion company, Marco Promotions, Club Connection specializes in marketing dance club singles to nightclubs and dance venues across the country.  Club Connection maintains a national database of more than 240 venues and world-renowned dance instructor contacts, reaching more than 200,000 club patrons each weekend.  For more information, visit: www.MarcoClubConnection.com.

Company’s longevity built through diversity of services, recent expansion

(Nashville, TN – April 26, 2010)  When Jeff Walker started The AristoMedia Group in 1980, the compact disc was still in development, the World Wide Web was a decade away and the digital download hadn’t revolutionized the music industry yet.

“No one could have predicted our industry would be where we are today when I started this company thirty years ago,” says Walker.  “I’ve witnessed so many changes over the last three decades – I’ve seen the industry turn completely upside down, in fact – that change seems to be part of the norm, now.  Digital technology has permanently altered our business, and a lot of that change is positive, but it sure has made things interesting these last few years!”

Walker started Nashville-based The AristoMedia Group in April of 1980 as a singular PR firm, but over three decades the company has developed into a multi-faceted media, marketing and promotion company that houses a half-dozen specialized departments.  These divisions include Aristo P.R. (publicity and PR) AristoVideo (video promotion and marketing), AristoWorks (new media), AristoVision (Christian video promotion), Marco Promotions (secondary radio promotion) and Marco Club Connection (dance venue marketing).

Walker also operates a domestic and international consulting business, Jeff Walker & Associates, founded a digital label, GMV Nashville, in 2007 and most recently, established a video content and EPK distribution service called DownCast in 2009.

“The last five or six years have been particularly challenging, but the positive result of that has been another period of expansion within the company.  Our club department, Club Connection, has really grown with many recent Country chart-toppers featuring more dance-friendly material, and our digital label has filled a niche for a number of artists where a traditional label doesn’t suit their needs.  DownCast is our most recent addition, and we’ve just expanded that service to include distribution for book new release materials ,” says Walker.

Senior VP of Promotion and Marketing, Craig Bann, has witnessed many changes in the industry as well during his more than 20 years with AristoMedia.

“Now more than ever, it’s a time to be proactive in the music industry,” Bann says.  “The digital landscape continues to even out the playing field between established and emerging artists, and as a result, many new media and marketing opportunities have been created.”

Walker’s efforts to promote international Country artists in the U.S. have facilitated the company’s expansion as well.  Born in Australia, Walker has tirelessly advocated the globalization of Nashville-based music.  AristoMedia has hosted its own annual global showcase in conjunction with the CMA’s Global Artist Party for the past several years as a prelude to the CMA Music Fest in June each year.  The company also publishes a digital, quarterly international newsletter that is distributed to more than 7,500 recipients worldwide.

As The AristoMedia Group celebrates its 30th birthday in the music business this month, Walker remains characteristically upbeat.