Country Update
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Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS MARCH 8, 2021 | PAGE 1 OF 17 INSIDE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected] It’s Niko Moon’s Campbells’ Soup: Craig Campbell The ‘Time’ >page 4 Artist Hires Craig Campbell The Publicist Now See These: When his phone pinged several years ago, Campbell his first single, “What a Girl Will Make You Do,” on Feb. 12, re- Chesney, Midland, Entertainment Group founder Craig Campbell opened a text calling the home-life theme of his 2010 debut, “Family Man.” Clark from a number he didn’t recognize: “I’m coming home late “When people hear this song, they will know me,” the artist >page 9 from the studio. Will you pick says. “That had a lot to do with up some milk and bread on your picking this song.” way home?” For listeners within the busi- “Who is this?” he wrote back. ness, they also have to know Country Regroups “Mindy.” which Craig Campbell they’re >page 10 “Mindy who?” addressing. It’s not exactly “YOUR WIFE!” a new problem, though their That exchange was perhaps current working relationship a prelude to a new chapter in heightens the dynamic. In Grammys Tout Campbell’s professional life. the mid-2000s, Campbell the Country Women Mindy Campbell thought she new G. first found out about >page 10 was texting the artist Craig Campbell the O.G. while trying Campbell. Now the two men out for the USA Network show with the same name are work- Nashville Star. Judge Tracy Makin’ Tracks: ing together in a potentially Gershon told the artist that a Dan + Shay ‘Exist’ confusing manner: Music publicist was already working >page 14 journalists are receiving press with the same moniker. The releases about Craig Campbell two were destined to collide the artist from the address of as the new G. made a name for Craig Campbell the publicist. himself. Country Coda: Or, as the publicist likes to Artist Craig Campbell (left) enlisted publicist Craig “As I started singing demos Aldean, Clarkson’s call himself, Campbell the O.G. Campbell for a 2019 charity event before partnering and making my rounds musi- ‘Stay’ Power “I’m the new G,” Campbell again to promote new music this year. cally, that’s when the confusion >page 17 the artist announces. started, because I think people The arrangement accompanies a new chapter in the artist’s were not distinguishing in their phones who was who,” the art- career. Following a stint at Broken Bow, he has relaunched as ist says. “So I’d get calls for him, he’d get calls for me. It was a an independent artist on his own Grindstone label. He released lot of fun for a while.” BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MARCH 8, 2021 | PAGE 2 OF 17 There was, for example, the time the new G. received press guidelines from a fellow artist. “John Rich called me one time. He said, ‘Look, I will do an audio interview. I will not do a video interview,’ just right out of the gate,” remembers Campbell the artist. “I said, ‘Who do you think this is?’ He said, ‘Who is this?’ I said, ‘This is Craig the singer.’ He said, ‘Oh, all right. I’ll call you later.’ And hung up.” Sometimes the singer has inadvertently received inside information. “Somebody called me about an artist who had gotten arrested in the middle of the night,” he notes. “I still have the voicemail, basically saying, ‘We need to cut this off, you know. We need to nip this in the bud before it gets too far Brad Paisley performed “Off Road” and discussed his ambitious food down the road, blah, blah, blah. Just wanted to give you the heads-up. When distribution charity, The Store, on March 4 on ABC’s The View, where you wake up in the morning, you’re probably going to hear about it.’ ” the hosts include Whoopi Goldberg. Along the way, the two Craig Campbells became friends, thanks in part to publisher Jimmy Metts, who lived next door to the publicist. When the artist became a regular on Lower Broadway, Metts talked the publicist into frequent visits to the club. “I would go down to The Stage downtown with Jimmy and listen to Craig play,” the O.G. says. “He’d be on the piano or he’d be on guitar, just all over the place, and I thought he was just so cool. He was so entertaining. I was work- ing at Sony [Music Nashville] at the time, and I tried to get A&R people to go down to The Stage and listen to him and never could get anyone to go down.” Campbell the publicist has, however, been able to get press coverage for art- ists through the years, and that’s the main reason the Campbells are linked up now. Campbell Entertainment currently represents Tenille Arts, Gretchen Wilson and Skip Ewing, and his past associations include Patty Loveless, Dixie Chicks and Billy Ray Cyrus. Campbell the artist knew what he was Eleven months after she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University getting. Medical Center to assist with COVID-19 vaccine research, Dolly Parton “With this particular decision, I didn’t have to ask anybody,” the new G. received her first dose of the vaccine on March 2 from Vanderbilt says. “I knew that he was great.” Dr. Naji Abumrad. Since the artist doesn’t need tour press during the pandemic, he has hired the O.G. PR guy on an a la carte basis as he introduces new music into the mar- ketplace. The music comes with a story: In addition to the full-circle return to family-man themes, the Grindstone imprint overlaps with another business Campbell the artist is establishing with Mindy — Grindstone Cowboy, a cof- fee shop in Eagleville, Tenn., that they hope will eventually become a chain. The artist also hopes the Campbell/Campbell business relationship grows. “I’d like to get to a point where I can put him on retainer, like it should be, ’cause I know [a publicist’s] value,” the artist says. “I’m glad to have him on the team at the moment.” Part of being on the team in this case means being as transparent as possible to avoid confusion with media, particularly reporters who do not regularly cover country who may think they’re getting an email from the artist Craig Campbell as releases show up in their inbox. The Campbell Entertainment executive often signs his emails “Craig Campbell,” “Publicist” or “CC O.G.” Hailey Whitters (right) discussed her new album, Living the Dream, on “I’ll have to be really careful when I do make those pitches and emphasize the March 5 edition of the Apple Music Country show Today’s Country that I’m his publicist,” the O.G. says. “And that I’m not his dad.” Radio With Kelleigh Bannen. DECISIVE INTELLIGENCE. DELIVERED DIGITALLY. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DELIVERY DIGITAL NEWSLETTERS BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 13, 2020 | PAGE 4 OF 19 ONBILLBOARD THE CHARTS COUNTRY JIM ASKER UPDATE [email protected] MARCH 8, 2021 | PAGE 4 OF 17 ON STHEa CHARTSmH JIMunt ASKER’ [email protected] Southside Rules Top Country Albums;Niko Brett Moon Young Having ‘Catc Ah ‘Good’-es Fifth Time’ Airplay Leader;Atop Travis Hot Country Denning Songs Makes And History Country Airplay Charts 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%). TopNiko Country Moon Albums’s debut chart single dated as a recording April 18. artist, In its “Goodfirst week Time” (ending (RCA Nashville),April 9), it first to reach Top Country Albums. This week, it enters the top 20 (22-20; earnedsimultaneously 46,000 equivalent ascends toalbum No. 1 units, on Billboard including’s airplay-, 16,000 sales- in album and streaming- sales, ac- TRY7,000 TO equivalent ‘CATCH’ albumUP WITH units, YOUNG up 7%). Brett Youngachieves his fifth consecutive cordingbased to Hot Nielsen Country Music/MRC Songs chart Data. and Country Airplay, both dated March 13. and total Country Airplay No. 1 as “Catch” (Big Machine Label Group) ascends SouthsideThe track marks jumps Hunt’s 3-1 on second Hot Country No. 1 on Songs the and 5-1 on Country Airplay, ‘ONES’ IS 10 Gabby Barrett2-1, notches increasing her second 13% to career-opening 36.6 million impressions. Country chartcrowning and fourth the latter top 10. list It with follows a 16% freshman gain to 28.9 LP million audience impressions Airplay top 10 as “The Good Ones”Young’s (Warner first Musicof six chart Nashville/WAR) entries, “Sleep rises With - Montevalloin the week, which ending arrived March at 7,the according summit into MRCNo - Data. 11-9 (13.4 million impressions,out upYou,” 8%). reached The song, No. which 2 in December Barrett co-wrote, 2016. He vemberIn 2014 the week and reignedending March for nine 4, weeks.“Good Time”To date, gained by 6% to 9.3 million U.S. follows her launch crossover hit,followed “I Hope.” with That the multiweektune led Country No. 1s Airplay“In Case for You Montevallostreams. has It lifts earned 4-1 on 3.9 Country million Streaming units, with Songs, 1.4 award- a week inDidn’t April Know” and reigned (two weeks, on Hot June Country 2017), “Like Songs I Lovedfor millioning Moon in album his first sales.