Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS DECEMBER 14, 2020 | PAGE 1 OF 23 INSIDE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
[email protected] The Impact Of If We Make It Through December: Charley Pride Page 4 2020 Hindsight Starts With COVID-19 Chris Lane’s We find ourselves at the end, according to some pundits, of It. Has. Been. Bad. ‘Big, Big’ Moment the worst year ever. But 2021 is another year, and there is reason for optimism. Page 5 Thanks to an erratic government response, COVID-19 has For starters, the rollout of the first vaccines brings a hazy prom- killed nearly 300,000 Americans, unemployment remains ise of future tours. high, major cities are beset by lengthy food lines, and one-third Plus, country music is establishing its next wave of stars, and Palomino of citizens are likely to face eviction or foreclosure in the next some areas of the business are demonstrating their adaptabil- Rides Again two months, accord- ity, a necessary trait Page 14 ing to U.S. Census for survival. Bureau projec- L e a d i n g t h a t tions. Add in racial new-artist class tensions, a soaring are Luke Combs, Darius Rucker national debt and Gabby Barrett A Big-League Star the increasing toll and Morgan Wal- Page 14 of climate change, len. Combs, who and… well… can we topped eight of just get to 2021? Billboard’s year- Makin’ Tracks: This year has end country charts ‘Famous Friends’ naturally been a for the second year Young, Brown challenge in country in a row, has now Page 20 music, too.