Issue 473 Radio Reacts to the Cmas Music Stars, TV Stars, Pageant Queens, Sketch Comedy
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November 9, 2015, Issue 473 Radio Reacts To The CMAs Music stars, TV stars, pageant queens, sketch comedy ... and Brad Paisley dropped his pants. The 49th Annual CMA Awards Wednesday (11/4) in Nashville was a spectacle indeed. Here’s what worked, what didn’t and what it all means according to some of Country radio’s finest. WKLB/Boston PD Mike Brophey: This may have been one of the best CMA Awards ever. I can’t remember a show that was as compelling from beginning to end. The momentum and energy carried, performances were terrific, there were One Upon A Time: RCA’s Old Dominion celebrate their No. 1 enough surprises to keep things interesting, “Break Up With Him” with WSOC/Charlotte. Pictured are (l-r) people looked great, production was great the label’s Josh Easler, OD’s Geoff Sprung, Brad Tursi and Mike Brophey and our format was well-represented. Matthew Ramsey, the station’s DJ and Krista Stout and OD’s Clearly the combination of Timberlake Trevor Rosen and Whit Sellers. and Stapleton was unique, and Thomas Rhett with Fall Out Boy jumped. I loved Keith on bass and Brad and John Marks’ Brave New World Carrie have developed an even better chemistry. Both looked Heading country efforts for Spotify after five years at SiriusXM great, except when Paisley dropped his pants. The bits were and a long run in terrestrial radio including KSON/San Diego, interesting, the right length, relatable, and served to move the John Marks remains on the cutting edge of programming. show along rather than bind it up. William Shatner was a plus, Country Aircheck asked him about his new role as, ahem, a Little Jimmy Dickens’ urn was, um, different. It was a wonderfully computer programmer. balanced three hours. CA: Can you compare the distance A lot of us enjoyed seeing Chris Stapleton being recognized between terrestrial radio and SiriusXM because over the years we’ve watched his writing create huge hits. to the distance between SiriusXM and The buzz around him will encourage radio to listen more carefully Spotify? Which is greater and why? to every song he writes, whether he sings it or JM: I don’t know if there’s a greater distance another artist cuts it. He was clearly humbled between any of them, I just know each one by his awards, and you can’t help but want him is an entirely different experience. Terrestrial to have chart success. This moves his songs radio’s metrics and approach was one way of John Marks closer to the top of the stack. doing business. Satellite radio’s subscription- KSON/San Diego morning host John based business was a very different method of Flint: Like everyone, I thought the Chris doing things. At Spotify, I’m only scratching the Stapleton/Justin Timberlake performance surface of what I’ll be able to do with playlisting, utilizing data and was off the hook! In my opinion, the ACM’s working with artists and labels. Each is unique in and of itself. John Flint have always been hipper and have had better What do they all share? What are the commonalities? musical performances. That wasn’t the case (continued on page 6) The constant truth is consumers’ love of music. Wherever ©2015 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] November 9, 2015 Page 3 consumers go, even if the methods of delivery are entirely different, music creates a community of likeminded people who PAGE THREE PIC want to hear the music they love. Despite your Facebook post, there has been a lot of speculation about your departure from SiriusXM. Was the Spotify opportunity in the works as you left and what can you say about your decision to move on? I don’t want to get into details, it was just time for me to wrap up at SiriusXM so I exercised that opportunity. As for Spotify, let’s call that a drive-by in that they intersected but did not overlap. I was more than fortunate to learn about this opportunity. I feel incredibly gifted to have been engaged in all these different elements of presenting country music to fans. What did the satellite radio experience teach you that maybe you would find applicable to terrestrial radio? What would you go back and say to the KSON PD version of John Marks? Then-Universal South artist Joe Nichols (r) I would tell myself to pay more attention to the local data that is with WIL/St. Louis’ Todd Michaels just before a readily available – sales, streaming, social data and more. I didn’t performance of the national anthem at a Cardinals utilize that kind of information as well as I could have and there’s baseball game. Send your own “way back” shots to loads of it available beyond what is perhaps being provided through [email protected]. various corporate entities. Also, and this is not an admonishment of terrestrial radio, but to take more educated musical chances. Make a I’m sorry to say I don’t really. I can say for sure the Hot Country commitment to a song or artist you believe in, test it by the data and list typically ranks third or fourth in the entire Spotify platform of most- see if it works. If it does, great. If not, pull it. consumed music choices. Country is large for Spotify and that’s why What did satellite radio teach you that you think they are doubling down on their commitment to country music in transfers forward to Spotify? Nashville. There’s plenty of headroom for growth with the genre. The most eye-opening experience at SiriusXM came when we What is the vision for that commitment? Will there be started taking some educated music chances. We were starting to an office? What will the footprint look like in the future? track through data – sales, our research, socials, other feedback Almost everything is on the table. For now, I’m reuniting with – that’s when the light went on with me that this was not a local [Label & Artist Relations rep] Copeland Isaacson, who I worked with at radio thing. We have the ability to influence the U.S. and Canada KSON. He and I are working from our homes for now, but there have with this music in a positive way. been light discussions about what to do next. My primary objective is When we were playing FGL, as one example, I was getting to get my head around all of these playlists and data. calls saying they were blowing up in Canada and they weren’t How does that shape your day? What are you even getting airplay in Canada. Those kinds of things helped me actually doing? understand the impact the medium could have, and did on several All of these playlists are finite lists of songs, just like a radio occasions. Tapping into that at Spotify can have not only national station playlist – but typically 50 songs. How to mix and match but worldwide impact, as I’m just beginning to understand and those songs to make the listening experience better is what I’m learn. How Spotify users consume music is a little different from slowly but surely getting the hang of. Learning what data is how it’s consumed at SiriusXM. Even today I’m looking at playlists important in making good music choices and getting back up to that are being used all over the world and looking forward to speed on new releases. collaborating with people in various regions of the world in putting Among many things, what’s going to be most interesting is the together custom playlists for fans in those areas to enjoy. ability to almost be in the moment with data. That’s not to say you Do you have any sense yet for the Spotify country change a song if it’s not working after a day, but having in-the- audience? How large? Demos? minute information on behavior is incredible. How many people ©2015 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] November 9, 2015 Page 6 Chart Chat NO SHAVE NOVEMBER CHARTS Congrats to Old Dominion, Steve Hodges, Keith Gale, NSN4SJK Overall Teams Josh Easler and the entire RCA TW Name Total promotion staff on topping the 1 Team Q $3,085 chart with “Break Up With Him.” 2 The Backwoods Boys $3,035 This is the band’s debut single for 3 W. P. Carey $2,905 the label and their first No. 1. Old Dominion 4 The Gumbo Guys $2,800 And kudos to Jimmy Rector 5 Team WFRE $1,865 and the entire EMI Nashville 6 Sea Isle City Police $1,530 promotion staff on landing 72 adds for Eric Church’s “Mr. 7 Cat Country 107.3, Atlantic City $1,530 Misunderstood,” topping this week’s board. 8 Leg Hair Don't Care $1,130 9 Curb Records $1,110 10 Issuer Direct $985 News & Notes Radio Fargo-Moorehead KBVB/Fargo, ND partnered with We Fest as the official radio sponsor through 2018. More here. NSN4SJK Radio Teams Middle Tennessee State University’s Veterans and TW Name Total Family Center has opened its doors. The facility was possible in 1 TeamQ (KRWQ/Medford, OR) $3,085 part by Charlie Daniels’ The Journey Home Project. More here. 2 Team WFRE $1,865 Kenny Chesney will play Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in 3 Cat Country 107.3, Atlantic City $1,530 Louisville, KY May 28 and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA 4 Slacker Radio $740 Aug.