Country Update
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Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS FEBRUARY 24, 2020 | PAGE 1 OF 19 INSIDE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected] It’s Sam Hunt, Country Radio Seminar: An Older Folks >page 4 Medium Looks For Youthful Passion Positive Thoughts From CRS Mickey Guyton has yet to earn a hit record, but she still reaches the masses, remaining the most-listened-to media, >page 10 commandeered a standing ovation from broadcasters with a but the actual time spent listening is dwindling, and 18- to new song that was widely regarded as the stand-out musical 34-year-old country fans now devote more time to streaming moment of Country Radio Seminar. in an average week than they do to traditional broadcast radio. Was it a breakthrough moment? That can only be assessed by Additionally, programmers’ beliefs about the audience have not A Drink And A Nod programmers’ responses in the weeks and months ahead, but it kept up with changes in the playing field, or even their customers’ To Warner subtly pointed to radio’s current challenge: Do broadcasters play definition of radio. >page 11 it safe in a crowded media field? Or do they take a chance on a Younger listeners no longer view radio as a place that transmits talented artist who took her own risk on a song music from a tower, researcher Mark Ramsey that has the potential to change a listener’s life? said while unveiling a study of how consumers’ Guyton belted a gut-wrenching piano ballad, perceptions of broadcasting differ with PDs’ Big Machine’s New “What Are You Gonna Tell Her,” during the expectations. Most of them consider the Hospital Wing Universal Music Group Nashville (UMGN) medium to be music on their phone, tablet, >page 11 showcase on Feb. 20 at Nashville’s Ryman desktop or in-car radio — whether transmitted Auditorium. The song explores culture’s by satellite or AM/FM waves. Radio, said hypocritical treatment of women: Daddies’ Ramsey, is “whatever platform gives me the Makin’ Tracks: girls are told they can do anything, but when music I want when I want it.” Lady A Finds Purpose they step into the real world, they discover they GUYTON With so many options available, PDs who In ‘Leaving’ must fend off unwanted advances and are likely worry only about losing their audience to a rival >page 16 to get passed over in the workforce, only to hear broadcast signal are thinking way too small. that “it’s been that way all along.” Guyton’s tone and range were “Competition,” said Ramsey, “is anything that competes for awesome, the song was powerful, and her courageous portrait my attention.” of systemic injustice got the audience on its feet in the room. As a result, stations were encouraged to spread out in the Country Coda: Still, the post-show response was mixed. Some executives marketplace, with heavy presence in social media, podcasts and Cochran, Wariner viewed it as an important message, but privately insisted it both audio and video online. With the nation’s largest chain, No. 1 would never air on their station. Beasley country brand manager/ iHeartMedia, pursuing a business model that relies increasingly >page 19 WKLB Boston PD David Corey told a panel, “I would play on nationally broadcast shows and digital content, that changes that tomorrow.” the game for other stations in local markets. Competing outlets Commercial radio marks its 100th anniversary in November, may be able to use their local niche as a competitive weapon, and CRS panelists acknowledged it as a platform in a quandary. It though being a part of the community is less important to listeners HOGE PEYTON BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 24, 2020 | PAGE 2 OF 19 than the music itself, according to Ramsey’s study. And those local talents will need to rise to the national quality level if they are to succeed. “DJ-hosted shows are a competitive advantage when they’re great,” said Ramsey. “They’re an obstacle when they’re not.” But finding great talent is increasingly difficult because the employee pool is influenced as much by the new media as the audience. “Students want to brand on social media,” noted University of Florida director of radio programming Rob Harder. “They don’t care so much about being on the air.” Complicating the issue, the music can’t be the only attraction. Spotify and Pandora are music-intensive, and they have built-in advantages, including Skip buttons and the subscriber option to avoid commercials. “If you are just a jukebox,” noted Townsquare senior vp programming Kurt David Nail (center) dropped by the syndicated Big D & Bubba show to Johnson in a later panel, “that isn’t really a differentiation.” promote his new EP Oh, Mother. He’s flanked by Derek “Big D” Haskins Plenty of artists found ways to differentiate themselves. Hot Country (left) and Sean “Bubba” Powell. Knights, a Dierks Bentley side project, dressed in retro-redneck fashion for “Pick Her Up” during the UMGN show. New Big Machine artist Payton Smith came off as an energetic, updated American Fool-era John Mellencamp during the Feb. 21 lunch showcase. And Gabby Barrett’s Feb. 19 delivery of the seminar-opening national anthem — wrought with flutter, scratch and force — set her apart as a new vocalist. A clinical panel showed how programmers can use such tools as streaming data, Shazam and most-added status to sort through the options and find the most likely hits for their markets. But even that presentation from Stone Door Media Lab partner Jeff Green came with a panel-ending caveat. “Music is supposed to be something that hits you in the feels,” observed MCA Nashville senior vp promotion Katie Dean, “so take this all with a grain of salt.” That passion for music was echoed throughout the seminar — as Eric Church Indie artist Morgan Myles (center) performed for Billboard staff at the said during a keynote Q&A, “We all are in this room because, at some time, company’s Nashville office, including country correspondent Annie music did something to us.” And that’s where Guyton’s performance raises the Reuter and New York-based senior vp charts and data development biggest questions. As terrestrial broadcasting moves into its second century, Silvio Pietroluongo. it faces stiff competition from the other platforms that consumers think of as radio, as well as from video games, social media and TV. The on-air talent needs to be as crisp, inventive and engaging as possible to keep listeners. And the music, which researchers insist is still the biggest attraction for consumers, has to inspire them, too. “If you don’t give them the music that they want, they have other places to go,” Shopkeeper Management owner Marion Kraft, who manages Miranda Lambert and Tenille Townes, noted during a panel on women in country. So how will music directors respond to Guyton’s passionate song? Her performance clearly inspired the gatekeepers at the Ryman. Does broadcast radio want to take a chance that what inspires them might also inspire their audience? Radio’s dilemma is one that has sounded through the hallways at Ryan Hurd (center) met up with iHeartMedia employees in conjunction CRS since its inception, and it applies not just to programmers, but to every with a February concert at The Cannery in Nashville. With him are facet of the modern music business. WSIX Nashville assistant PD/music director Ryan McKiddy (left) and “We need more shepherds,” said Kraft. “We need less sheep.” iHeartMedia executive vp country programming Rod Phillips. MEDIA SILVERFISH COURTESY NAIL: BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 24, 2020 | PAGE 4 OF 19 ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected] Sam Hunt Nets Sixth Country Airplay No. 1; ‘10,000 Hours’ Equals 20 Weeks; Kenny Chesney’s New Music Is ‘Here’ Sam Hunt scores his sixth leader on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, and claiming the fourth-longest reign since the survey became an all-encompassing first since 2017, as “Kinfolks” (MCA Nashville) ascends 2-1 on the survey dated genre ranking in 1958. It passes the 19-week command of Leroy Van Dyke’s Feb. 29, up 5% to 36.6 million audience impressions “Walk On By” in 1961-62. in the week ending Feb. 23, according to Nielsen The only songs to lead longer are Bebe Rexha Music/MRC Data. and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be” Jerry Flowers, Josh Osborne, Zach Crowell (50 weeks, 2017-18), Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a and Hunt co-authored the song, which previews Back Road” (34 weeks, 2017) and Florida Georgia Southside (due April 3), Hunt’s first LP since his 2014 Line’s “Cruise” (24 weeks, 2012-13). debut, Montevallo. “Hours” tops Country Streaming Songs for On the airplay-, streaming- and sales-powered a 15th week, with 14.7 million streams, and sold Hot Country Songs chart, “Kinfolks” holds at 7,000 in the week ending Feb. 20. It led Country its No. 3 high, also having drawn 7.8 million U.S. Airplay for two weeks beginning on the Jan. 25- streams (up 5%) and sold 3,000 downloads (up 1%) dated list. in the week ending Feb. 20. Hunt claims his first Country Airplay No. 1 CHESNEY, THEN AND ‘NOW’ Kenny Chesney since his crossover smash “Body Like a Back makes his 91st Country Airplay visit as “Here and Road,” which reigned for three weeks in May Now” (Blue Chair/Warner Music Nashville/WEA) 2017. It ruled Hot Country Songs for 34 frames soars in at No. 25 with 5.1 million in radio reach, starting that February.