Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 1 OF 19 INSIDE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected] Denning Ascends How Runaway June’s Realignment Hints At ‘After A Few’ Weeks >page 4 The Peaks And Perils Of Band Management Jody Williams’ When Wheelhouse releases a new Runaway June single, “We increases, so does the likelihood that it will suffer from some New Pub House Were Rich,” it will mark a big moment for the trio, which man- career-ending pitfall. >page 10 aged to regroup after the departure of Hannah Mulholland. Alabama, a quartet that made its Top Country Albums debut Remaining members Naomi Cooke and Jennifer Wayne with My Home’s in Alabama 40 years ago on the chart dated could have dissolved the act, or they could have moved forward June 14, 1980, made managers more willing to gamble on as a duo, and both of those options were bands when it launched a series of mul- Stars Line Up For considered before Natalie Stovall tiplatinum titles and arena sellouts. But John Prine ultimately filled the vacant position. some of the fears about bands played out >page 11 It’s a level of complication that solo during the group’s run: Drummer Mark acts never face, but that also represented Herndon was a hired hand rather than a an extra layer of drama for Runaway shareholder, and the internal strife dur- June’s manager, F2 Entertainment ing Alabama’s tours was significant, ac- Willie Nelson’s president/CEO Fletcher Foster. He cording to Herndon’s autobiography. Austin Benefit essentially gets the same commission Those same doubts still exist. >page 11 he would receive from a solo artist after Nashville record labels turned down assisting the trio through a transition Old Dominion — which has won the that focused on personality and Country Music Association’s vocal Makin’ Tracks: compatibility as much as it did on sound. group honor the last two years — Tim McGraw’s “The music elements, all of those specifically because it was a group. And ‘Mama’ kinds of things that [are apparent] in The new Runaway June lineup (from left): Morris Higham Management president >page 16 the front, you can figure those out,” Wayne, Cooke and Stovall. Clint Higham repeatedly resisted when he says, “but it’s the behind-the-scenes producer Shane McAnally (Midland, things that really make the machine work.” Sam Hunt) approached him about managing the act. Higham Groups are like a marriage, since each individual has his or gave in only after he was persuaded that Old Dominion had the Country Coda: her own entity while the relationship between any two people stability and dedication to match its talent. When Strait Gave can have its own separate dynamic. Because of that complexity, “He just kept after me,” notes Higham. “When the guys came Chart An ‘Amen’ bands were pariahs in country music for years because of the in and I realized, ‘OK, they’re a unit, and they’re committed >page 19 potential issues that Runaway June’s lineup shift represents. to their craft by touring in a van and doing it all themselves,’ Managers — as well as labels and booking agencies — staked that was inspiring.” their own careers on an act’s reliability, and as an act’s size The challenges in band management are numerous. In MORGAN JEN BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 2 OF 19 addition to dealing with more personalities, larger circles of influence from friends and family, and the occasional possibility of a lineup change, decision- making can take longer and it’s more difficult to establish a brand. A solo artist can use the cult of personality to drive their story — every country fan has a sense of who Carrie Underwood or Luke Bryan is. But it’s often difficult for that same consumer to identify all the different members of a group beyond the lead singer, let alone develop a composite sense of their characters. That’s an issue Red Light Management executive Mary Hilliard Harrington encounters daily while guiding LANCO. “They all have very distinct personalities, but the reason that they’re con- necting with fans is the live experience. It isn’t because of what they ate for Former Country Music Association executive director Ed Benson and breakfast,” she observes. “And by the way, as a manager, that’s what I want Jeannie Seely were among six panelists who attended a June 4 CMA because that’s building longevity and a touring career that can go on for 20 webinar, CMA Fest Through the Years. years if we keep building it one show at a time versus it being based on what- ever they’re doing in their yard at home or whatever the shtick of the day is.” The difference between the group dynamic and managing a solo artist is particularly apparent to Harrington now as she continues to handle Dierks Bentley’s career while overseeing the management of his pet project, Hot Country Knights. “Choosing what the album cover is going to be is way easier when it’s just me and Dierks,” she says. “When there’s six opinions, obviously that’s going to take a whole lot longer. And when there’s six opinions in what I guess you would call a comedy project, all of the opinions are often off-color, and they’re really just oftentimes doing things to get a rise out of me. I’ve learned a lot more patience.” Working through the financial components is likewise an issue. Morris Little Big Town performed “Bluebird” during the June 3 telecast of CMT Higham client Kenny Chesney keeps all his profits after he pays commis- Celebrates Our Heroes: An Artists of the Year Special. From left: group sions, fees and expenses, while Old Dominion divvies up its receipts among members Phillip Sweet, Jimi Westbrook, Kimberly Schlapman and five participants. As a result, a change in production costs can have a larger Karen Fairchild. effect on each band member and his family, and that puts even more stress on a band during its developmental stages. Attitudes during that period are key. “We try to focus our business model on growing the pie versus talking about slicing the pie,” says Higham. Ultimately, though building a band is more difficult than managing a solo career, the very nature of focusing on music rather than personality offers large potential rewards even when a founding member leaves. Higham points to country/rock’s Eagles, rock ensemble Journey and country trio-turned-duo Sugarland as acts that were able to survive key lineup changes, mostly because the quality of their music outshined any individual contributor. That makes a key crossroads, such as Stovall’s arrival in Runaway June, that much more crucial. For both the group and the manager, the critical element in an ensemble’s success still comes down to finding the right individual. “You go through the list of who’s musically fit for this, you know, who is visually fit for this, and then you get to this hard part,” says Foster. “Who do Lady Antebellum sang “Champagne Night” on the June 3 airing of CMT you want to have in the bunk above you or beside you on a day-to-day basis Celebrates Our Heroes: An Artists of the Year Special. From left: Lady A on this journey? That becomes the biggest part.” members Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley. DECISIVE INTELLIGENCE. DELIVERED DIGITALLY. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DELIVERY DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRILJUNE 1 3,8, 2020 | PAGE 4 OF 19 ON THETHE CHARTSCHARTS JIMJIM ASKERASKER [email protected] [email protected] TravisSamH Denning’sunt’s Southside ‘After A Few’ Rules Completes Top Countr Recordy RunAlbu Toms; Country Brett Y Airplayoung ‘Catc Peak;h’-es ‘Life’ Fifth Is Good Airplay For LeaJimmyder; Buffett Travis OnDenning Top Country Makes Albums History SamTravis Hunt Denning’s second notches studio his full-length, first No. 1 onand Billboard first in ’sover Country five years, Airplay Southside chart salesunits, (up with 21%) almost in the all tracking (74,000) week. from On album Country sales. 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