Dwight Yoakam Brings Innovation to Billboard Country Summit
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BILLBOARD.BIZ/NEWSLETTER/EDITED BY TOM ROLAND, [email protected] MAY 21, 2012 | PAGE 1 OF 18 INSIDE DWIGHT YOAKAM BRINGS INNOVATION Texas Acts Two- TO BILLBOARD COUNTRY SUMMIT Step Past Majors To Top 10 Grammy Award-winning country star Dwight Yoakam, an claimed actor, with star turns in such films as “Sling Blade,” >page 2 artist who has transcended the country music genre to become “Panic Room” “The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada” and a multi-slash innovator and entrepreneur, will be the Superstar “Four Christmases.” Yoakam also co-wrote, starred in, produced Keynote Q&A at the third annual Billboard Country Music Sum- and wrote the soundtrack for “South of Heaven, West of Hell.” mit, set for June 4-5 at the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville in a “Because he lives and works in California, Dwight’s perspective Tim McGraw Revs Up Big session titled “Guitars, Cadillacs, and Innovation: A Conversation on country and its place in the entertainment world is completely Machine About the Future with different than the >page 5 Dw ight Yoakam.” YOAKAM view from Nashville,” Singer/songwriter/ Roland says. “He’s a actor/writer/director creative force, and it’s Yoakam helped rede- likely that everyone in Consultant Rusty fine country music the room will be chal- Walker Dies >page 5 with his 1986 debut lenged to reconsider album, the neo-tra- something they took ditional honky-tonk for granted.” epic Guitars, Cadil- Co-presented by Somethin’ ‘Bout lacs, Etc., Etc. One of the Country Music Kip Moore At the most respected Assn., the Billboard No. 1 singer/songwriters Country Music Sum- >page 6 in any genre, Yoakam mit brings multiple has risen from coun- parts of the country try music pioneer to business together Jason Aldean, legendary cross-genre for a gut check about Miranda recording artist. He the changing dynam- Lambert: is also one of music’s ics in such facets as Surprise! >page 8 “deep thinkers,” and radio, publishing, summit attendees will technology and art- have a rare opportunity to hear from him in this must-see ses- ist development. Luke Bryan, Willie Nelson, Shooter Jen- sion moderated by veteran music writer and Billboard Country nings and Thompson Square have been previously announced Update editor Tom Roland. as participants. Additional panelists will be announced in the Yoakam has sold more than 25 million albums and has charted coming weeks. more than 30 singles, with 22 of them going top 20. He is set to Go here to get plugged in for the 2012 Billboard Country Music release his first studio album in seven years on Warner Bros. Summit. Act now for a 15% discount using promo code BIZ12. this fall. Beyond the music genre, Yoakam is a critically ac - —Ray Waddell, Nashville BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 21, 2012 | PAGE 2 OF 18 ABBOTT, DONAHEW: D-I-Y FROM T-E-X THIS WEEK AT CALLOUT AMERICA There’s something brewing down in Texas. The red-dirt scene has had its fair share of homegrown success stories for LOVE AND THEFT STEAL years, but two albums released in the last six months—Josh Abbott Band’s Small Town Family Dream and Casey Donahew Band’s Double-Wide Dream— TOP FIVE SPOT set new standards on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, demonstrating that self-made, independent country acts have a much better shot at creating Love and Theft continues a strong growth trend as “Angel Eyes” moves a thriving business than perhaps at any time in history. into the top five at No. 3, up from No. 8. Younger 18-34s consider it No. 4 Abbott’s album debuted at No. 5 on the May 12 list after selling 21,000 copies overall and No. 14 favorite. Core 35-44s slide it to No. 3 from No. 5. Core in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Donahew similarly started females are at No. 7, and core at No. 10 on Nov. 12, 2011, following opening-week males are at No. 5. sales of 11,000 units. They are not the first Texas red-dirt acts to reach Carrie Underwood kicks such lofty chart levels—Pat Green, Randy Rogers her way into the top 10 as Band, Jack Ingram and Eli Young Band all beat “Good Girl” ranks No. 9 posi- them by several years—but they are the first to make tive, climbing from No. 13. that kind of dent on their own, artist-run label. Both acts The title is also the No. 4 fa- made their mark in partnership with Thirty Tigers, a vorite. Younger 18-34s rank it TOM ROLAND Editor Nashville-based firm that offers various levels of mar- as their No. 1 favorite. Females [email protected] keting, distribution and management infrastructure are powerful supporters with while allowing artists to maintain ownership of their grades of No. 6 overall and work. Underscoring the concept, the Oklahoma-based No. 2 favorite. Younger 18-34 Turnpike Troubadours debut at No. 14 on Top Country Albums withGoodbye males are at No. 4 favorite. Normal Street after the band’s Bossier City imprint partnered with Thirty Tigers. “This isn’t the 1980s,” Abbott says. “There are distribution companies, there Alan Jackson repeats as the is iTunes and Twitter, there’s ways to promote your product. Record labels be- No. 6 favorite with “So You LOVE AND THEFT fore were extremely important for radio and distribution and marketing, and Don’t Have to Love Me Any- even though they are great at all those things, I feel independent bands can more,” and has the No. 6 favor- catch up with them at least on distribution and marketing. I think the big dif- ite score mirrored by core 35-44s. Adults 25-44 stack it at No. 11 positive ference between an independent band and a band on a record label is probably and favorite. Core females are at No. 5 favorite. Adult males 35-54 mark radio airplay, because the radio teams have connections and relationships with it off at No. 4 and No. 5 favorite. program directors.” The increased ease of making con - JT Hodges continues to research well in front of the spin chart with nections in the digital age is a big reason “Goodbyes Made You Mine” vaulting from No. 23 to No. 15 positive with indie country artists are beginning to core 35-44s. Adults 25-44 stake it at No. 19. Core males are the strength make larger chart impressions. The art- of the audience with a No. 9 score, and female strength is with 25-34s ists in question built their core fan bases at No. 18. the old-fashioned way, touring heavily and counting on word-of-mouth among their Easton Corbin moves into the top 20 with “Lovin’ You Is Fun,” which fans to create additional connections and researches as the No. 20 positive song with listeners 18-plus. Adults 35-54 sell more tickets when they return to a are the strongest audience sector at No. 11 overall and No. 15 favorite. concert market. Core females are at No. 15 and No. 10 favorite. Male strength is with But the artists’ connections to other younger 25-34s at No. 12. country acts and red-dirt artists have also –John Hart, Bullseye Marketing Research aided their visibility in the digital mar- email: [email protected] JOSH ABBOTT BAND ketplace. Fans who search, for example, BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MAY 21, 2012 | PAGE 4 OF 18 Ohio, or someplace like that, those impressions may not be available.” Texas acts have also shown some initiative in reinvesting in their careers. Abbott plowed band money into an advertising campaign in conjunction with the current album that saw it take out ads with college newspapers in select markets and buy spots on key radio stations in Texas as well as in markets out- side the region where the band was receiving airplay, such as Kansas City and Denver. He made a point of including links to digital retailers in online mes - saging, and iTunes in particular responded by offering a pre-sale and putting the album in highly visible locations on its country pages. In turn, the album generated top 20 sales in such markets as New York, San Francisco and Seattle where the band was otherwise unknown. “It’s a good time to be an independent artist,” Abbott observes. CASEY DONAHEW BAND Artists have traditionally used indie labels as a launching pad to the majors. Texas acts like Pat Green, Eli Young Band and Wade Bowen are all examples, for Eli Young Band’s Life at Best on iTunes will discover Donahew and Abbott but so are Elvis Presley, Vern Gosdin and Merle Haggard. in the “Listeners Also Bought” section, right along such mainstream acts as Donahew is skeptical of that path at this juncture in his band’s evolution. Blake Shelton and Dierks Bentley. Add that phenomenon to the fan base He’s met with major labels, but doesn’t feel an association makes sense. The they already created and—in the case of Abbott and Donahew—a video getting record companies have greater entrée to radio, but they still can’t guarantee attention at CMT and GAC, and the artists are generating a certain curiosity airplay or a hit. In return, they want ownership of the masters, a larger share despite their lack of widespread terrestrial-radio airplay. of the income on the recorded product and a piece of other elements—such as “They hear it, they like it, and they buy it,” Thirty Tigers presidentDavid Macias says.