Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS MARCH 23, 2020 | PAGE 1 OF 20 INSIDE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected] Jake Owen’s Indie Country Artists Make The Best ‘Home’-Grown Success >page 4 Of An Uncertain COVID-19 Shutdown Kenny Rogers’ When the COVID-19 coronavirus forced the shutdown of the Nearly every artist has had their live shows postponed or can- Sandpaper Wisdom concert industry, independent Nashville artist Stevie Wood- celed through the end of April, and some have lost as much as >page 10 ward got a double whammy. six months’ worth of concert bookings. Not only did she lose the steady, six-nights-a-week book- “I can [deal] with the March and April shows being pushed ings in the Music City club scene that kept her afloat, she also back or rescheduled,” says John King. “But when you get into, faced the stark reality that one of her roommates, a nurse at like, May — and is it going to go further into June and July? I Live Online: The New Vanderbilt Medical mean, I would say Concert Stage Center, might well 80% of our income >page 12 bring the bug home comes from May to from work. September. That’s Woodward de- kind of the sweet Sara Evans Gets cided to make lem- spot for touring.” The Knack onade out of lemons But that doesn’t and drove to Myrtle mean that artists >page 12 Beach, S.C., for an are sitting in the unexpected two- house twiddling week vacation at their thumbs and SHORR KING HACKETT Makin’ Tracks: her parents’ house. watching their Niko Moon’s “When am I ever checkbook bal- ‘Good Time’ going to get this time again?” she asks rhetorically. “If anything ances dwindle. Instead, they’re using the time to improve their >page 17 is good out of this situation, it’s that. It’s nice to just kind of be craft, bone up on their marketing and social media skills, write with family right now, especially at this chaotic time. You don’t songs and/or spend time with family that they cannot see when know what’s around the corner.” they’re on the road. That uncertainty exists for every American as an invisible And in the most public retooling of their schedules, many are Country Coda: enemy expands its territory. It’s particularly acute in the music releasing new music and performing online. King launched a When Roger Miller business, where freelancers are a large percentage of the work Friday-night Facebook Live series, Tunes From the Tub, on Was ‘King’ force. For arena headliners, even those who write their own songs, March 23, streaming from the best-lit room in his Columbia, >page 20 the cancellations are a problem. But for indie acts whose busi- Tenn., home. Kalie Shorr used the platform mykey.com for a ness model is almost exclusively built upon concert income, the cheekily titled March 22 livestream, The Social Distancing Tour unpredictability of the virus-related shutdown is brutal. Part 1. BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MARCH 23, 2020 | PAGE 2 OF 20 “You never know how much money you’ll make,” she says, “but, like, $500 here and there, that can go a really long way when you’re struggling to adapt to this new landscape that we don’t know how long is going to last.” Within days of the concert shutdown, the earliest adapters scheduled a wave of livestream performances and released music. Emily Hackett issued “My Version of a Love Song” on March 23, taking advantage of all those consumers who are self-isolating and looking for entertainment to keep their spirits up. “They’re still listening to music right now because they have nothing else to do,” she reasons. “So it’s at least comforting in that way to know, ‘OK, I can keep putting out new music.’ ” Artists can keep creating new sounds, too. Woodward is talking about re- cording material in her downtime, King is pulling out unfinished songs for completion, and Hackett has fielded requests for cowriting sessions via Skype Kelsea Ballerini (left) shares the stage with Halsey (right) when a new and FaceTime. She’s also intent on writing songs on her own, the way that many episode of CMT Crossroads premieres March 25. They took a photo at country songwriters did back in the day. the fall taping with CMT senior vp music strategy and talent Leslie Fram. “Songwriters can do their jobs from anywhere,” says Hackett. “They can do this by themselves. If they don’t know how to write by themselves or they run into the challenge of writing yourself into a corner, then use that opportunity to send it off to somebody and say, ‘Can we cowrite in a new way?’ ” This should be a good time to find unique sources of inspiration. As people connect from their isolated home with associates in separate isolated homes, they are likely to mine emotions and situations they have not previously expe- rienced in quite the same way. “We have things to write about,” says Woodward. “We can use this time to our advantage, and I think it’s really going to be a time for people, especially creatives, to reflect and sit back and be introspective and kind of learn about their creative process. If there’s a blessing in disguise in this, maybe it’s that.” Finding the silver lining is going to be key as the days turn into weeks or, in a Chris Bandi (center) visited Music Choice prior to New York quarantine worst-case scenario, months before the virus’ spread is reduced. Indie artists by orders to promote his single “Man Enough Now.” He’s joined by Good nature move toward hope, and the inventiveness required of them as freelancers Company promotion executive Jamice Jennings and Music Choice gives them a set of skills that other professionals may not have had to develop. head of country programming Jim Murphy. “It’s such an irregular industry already,” observes King. “We’re kind of con- ditioned for something like this. I can’t tell you the amount of living room floors I’ve slept on or in a van — you know, just things to get by, scraping pennies to- gether after a show that paid $50 in Athens, Ga. We’re kind of conditioned to live in these really tight, scary situations. If there’s ever an industry that some- thing crazy like this doesn’t scare, I think it’s us because we’re so used to just being crazy all the time.” That’s easy to say at the outset. But if the concert shutdown continues for an extended time, many of the recent postponements could become outright cancel- lations. Additionally, some smaller clubs and venues may go under as the result of a prolonged recession, reducing the chance to make up shows even further. But for now, indie artists have ways to stay busy, or even inspired. Independent artist Allie Colleen (center) stopped by WIVK Knoxville, “It’s so rare that everyone on the planet is feeling a similar emotion, so it’s Tenn., during a promotional visit behind her single “Along the Way.” kind of unifying in a way,” says Shorr of the COVID-19 pandemic. “But I don’t She’s flanked by WIVK personalities Tony Randall (left) and Kris want to go too far into the positive because it’s really kind of heavy.” Rochester. BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE MARCH 23, 2020 | PAGE 4 OF 20 ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected] Jake Owen’s ‘Homemade’ Hits No. 1 On Country Airplay; Ingrid Andress, Blake Shelton And Gwen Stefani Add Top 10s Jake Owen earns his eighth No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as the Honky Tonk,” hit No. 7 on Country Airplay last April, marking his 10th “Homemade” (Big Loud) lifts 2-1 on the list dated March 28, increasing by 7% of 11 top 10s. to 36.1 million audience impressions in the week ending March 22, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. ANDRESS ASCENDS Ingrid Andress achieves her first top 10 on the airplay-, “There is so much going on in the world right now, and I don’t take any of streaming- and sales-powered Hot Country Songs chart as the singer- this for granted,” says Owen of his eighth leader songwriter’s debut single, “More Hearts Than on the chart. “ ‘Homemade’ has such a new level Mine” (Atlantic/Warner Music Nashville/WEA), of meaning to me. I think we all can relate right hops 14-10. The track bumps 10-8 on Country now to taking the time to focus on the people and Airplay, up by 4% to 24.1 million in radio reach. small, daily moments that really matter; the ones It also surged by 20% to 5.5 million U.S. streams that make your home, at the core, the most impor- and sold 3,000 in the latest tracking week. tant thing in life. I know a lot of my team and fans are celebrating this moment from home with me BLAKE AND GWEN GAIN Also on Country right now, and I’d like to thank Big Loud Records Airplay, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani’s and the rest of the people that work so hard every “Nobody But You” (Warner Music Nashville/ day to get my music out to the fans.” WMN) pushes 12-10, up by 14% to 22.6 million Owen’s seven prior Country Airplay leaders in audience.