Country Update

Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS FEBRUARY 8, 2021 | PAGE 1 OF 17 INSIDE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected] Kenny Chesney’s CountryQueer.com’s Publisher On ‘Happy’ Occasion >page 4 Love, Hate, Wallen And Osborne Garner’s Mulehouse At the end of a jumbled week, CountryQueer.com posted a different lenses. Kicks In story on Feb. 6 from contributor Holly G, who defined herself “This is the kind of central question about American culture, >page 9 as “Black, queer, atheist. Country music fan.” and country’s place in it, that we’ve been exploring for a year or For the previous three weeks, she had been listening inces- so now,” says CountryQueer.com publisher Dale Henry Geist. santly to Morgan Wallen, whose use of a racial slur — which Officially launched in September 2019, the site endeavors to TMZ revealed Feb. 2 — was a betrayal to her be an online magazine for gay fans of coun- Hall of Fame, Triple 8 as a Black woman. try music, a consumer segment that might Promotions Without that distraction, Holly G might feel outcast at a typical country show. >page 9 have instead been celebrating this past “I’m telling you: You belong, just as much week as a lesbian, for Brothers Osborne as anybody,” Geist wrote to readers in his in- vocalist T.J. Osborne became the first art- augural welcome from the publisher. “You ist on a major-label country roster to come deserve to enjoy the music you love without Vincent, McCollum out publicly as a gay man in a Time maga- hiding who you are.” Opry Moments zine piece on Feb. 3. It was a step forward It’s an issue that’s endemic to the >page 10 for the LGBTQ+ community, though the LGBTQ+ life. While other audiences who prejudice inherent in Wallen’s disgrace- are fighting for equality — such as Blacks, ful speech blurred whatever progress Latinos and women — are often identifiable Makin’ Tracks: Osborne represented. by physical characteristics, most LGBTQ+ Nate Barnes’ The country industry’s response to those people are not. Their ability to blend in two developments was a tad surprising: Os- makes it easier to avoid danger, but it also ‘Pretty’ Start GEIST >page 14 borne was roundly supported, while Wallen makes it more difficult to connect. was admonished and/or punished and/or “It was so lonely and isolating,” Osborne dropped by his label, his booking agency, radio, the Country told Time about life in the closet. “It made me resent people.” Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. CountryQueer.com provided a symbolic coming-out platform Country Coda: The reaction is opposite of what would have been expected in for country acts when it launched an artist directory on Dec. 29, ‘Brother’ Chesnutt’s the genre during a previous era. And that’s part of the reason that 2020. Created by filmmaker/web designer Jeremy Leroux, the First No. 1 CountryQueer.com exists. The country culture is experiencing directory was seeded with roughly two dozen artists who had >page 17 a major realignment, and — as Osborne addressed in the Time publicly identified as LGBTQ+. Another two dozen have since piece — the progressive and conservative wings of the industry signed up, though it’s just the start of what could become a siz- and its fans are looking at the same issues through completely able resource. BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 8, 2021 | PAGE 2 OF 17 “We’ve covered hundreds of artists,” says Geist, pointing to the editorial segments of the site. “We anticipate that it’s going to be a useful tool for jour- nalists, people who are booking shows, DJs and so forth.” CountryQueer.com is still developing its audience, though its reach seems to be expanding quickly. It attracted 13,500 visitors in January, says Geist, noting that that figure represents a 67% increase over December, which was in turn a 70% increase over November. Its emergence comes at a time when the industry is under pressure to give Columbia Nashville artist Kameron Marlowe had a virtual meeting with more credence to voices beyond white, conservative males. Change the Con- syndicated media as his debut single, “Sober As a Drunk,” reaches versation has advocated for better representation of female artists for several its Feb. 8 add date. From left: Marlowe, Sony Music Nashville vp years. Sony Music Nashville announced the signing of a Latin duo, Kat & Alex, national promotion Lauren Thomas, Sun Broadcast Group Nashville on Feb. 1. And the business is becoming more receptive to Black performers, correspondent Becca Walls and Café Nashville host Jody Van-Alin. though the ones who have made the biggest waves thus far — including Jim- mie Allen, Blanco Brown and Kane Brown — have all been men. Critics lament, with some justification, that the business needs to open its doors wider and faster, though last week’s tandem reactions — the general support of Osborne’s coming out, contrasted with the rebuke of Wallen’s demeaning words — suggests that the industry is trying to make strides. “Nashville’s a liberal place,” suggests Geist. “The people who run the record companies are liberal. The people that do the media are liberal. That’s not an issue. I’m not surprised that the industry is responding favorably to T.J.” The fan response to Osborne has likewise been positive. In addition to sup- portive social media posts, Brothers Osborne’s on-demand audio and video streams increased 32%, and album and song sales jumped by 264% on Feb. 3-4, compared with the two previous days. Consumer reaction to the Wallen controversy has been more divided. De- 117 Music artist Courtney Dickinson performed Feb. 1 on-air at WUCZ spite the industry bans, sales and on-demand streaming of his music both Carthage, Tenn., maintaining a safe environment with GM/program rose. Wallen, meanwhile, received a mix of verbal responses in social media, director/music director Dennis Banka. with some fans saying he deserved his punishment while others claimed he did nothing wrong in using a bigoted slur. Given the heightened awareness of racial issues since the murder of George Floyd in May, those defenders — and Wallen himself — seem woefully igno- rant of, or insensitive to, the pain those attitudes cause. “How do you apologize for something like that?” one major songwriter said in an off-the-record rant. “You don’t. As eye-opening as 2020 was to Black Lives Matter and racial bigotry, the kid’s got to know that that’s just not something anybody’s going to put up with anymore. Take that word and bury the son of a bitch. That’s what they should do with that word. That and the Confederate flag — bury both of them because it’s nothing but hate. And who wants to hate anyway?” While the reaction was uneven, the industry and a good portion of the country fan base seemed to choose love over hate in the aftermath of Feb. 3. That Broken Bow artist Lainey Wilson held a virtual media visit on Feb. 3 in should be at least a little heartening to CountryQueer.com’s Holly G, though advance of the Feb. 12 release of Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’. Clockwise short-term words mean far less than long-term actions. from top left: Billboard Country Update editor Tom Roland, BBR “We certainly aren’t seeing the walls come tumbling down,” says Geist, Music Group senior publicity manager Quinn Kaemmer, American “but I think we may be seeing some cracks.” Songwriter contributor Madeline Crone and Wilson. DECISIVE INTELLIGENCE. DELIVERED DIGITALLY. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DELIVERY DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 13, 2020 | PAGE 4 OF 19 ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected] BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 8, 2021 | PAGE 4 OF 17 ON STHEa CHARTSmH JIMunt ASKER’ [email protected] Southside Rules Top Country AKennylbums; Chesney Brett Young Back ‘Catc In Hoth’-es Country Fifth Airplay Songs LeaTopder; 10; Travis Morgan Denning Wallen Makes Dominates History In Sales While His Airplay Plummets Sam Hunt’s second studio full-length, and first in over five years, Southside sales (up 21%) in the tracking week. On Country Airplay, it hops 18-15 (11.9 mil- (MCA Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville), debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s lion audience impressions, up 16%). Top Country Albums chart dated April 18. In its first week (ending April 9), it Kenny Chesney banks his 54th top 10 on Billboard’s airplay-, sales- and during a late night out. He subsequently issued an apology, while his label, Big earned 46,000 equivalent album units, including 16,000 in album sales, ac- TRY TO ‘CATCH’ UP WITH YOUNG Brett Youngachieves his fifth consecutive streaming-based Hot Country Songs chart as “Happy Does” (Blue Chair/Warner Loud Records, indefinitely suspended his recording contract. cording to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. and total Country Airplay No. 1 as “Catch” (Big Machine Label Group) ascends Music Nashville/WEA) rises 11-10 on the tally dated Feb. 13. Wallen’s new LP, Dangerous: The Double Album, holds at No. 1 on the all- SouthsideOn Country marks Airplay, Hunt’s the second song holds No. 1 at on its the No. 2 high, up 14% to 29 million genre Billboard 200 and Top Country2-1, increasing Albums 13% for toa fourth 36.6 million week, encompassimpressions.- chartaudience and fourth impressions top 10. inIt thefollows week freshman ending Feb. LP 7, according to MRC Data. It also ing its entire run on each ranking.Young’s The set firstgrew byof six14% chart to 149,000 entries, equivalent“Sleep With - Montevalloattracted, which4.7 million arrived U.S.

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