April 13, 2009 Issue 136 The Ears Have It: Country Vs. Pop PDs SMILE , YOU ’RE FIRED ! How much does a Country programmer’s radio background You didn’t see it at the time (who does?) but there was a reason you affect the music they put on their radio station? Has an influx got fired. Okay, besides forgetting to wear pants. Seriously, the good of “pop-oriented” PDs changed the path of country music by that comes from an unfortunate job loss is the encouragement dramatically altering what gets played, therefore changing what the tale gives others going through similar straits. And to that is cut, how it’s cut and perhaps end, Country Aircheck wants to help: Contact us with your best, even the subject matter of the worst, funniest or craziest firing (or hiring) stories and we’ll print songs that are written? These the collected works in our next print issue. Reach us at news@ are among the questions that countryaircheck.com or 615-320-1450. have been popping-up of late as budget cuts have claimed a number of Country PDs. Many have been replaced by programmers running the company’s Huff Set To Complete Hat Trick Pop sister stations. Congratulations to producer Dann Huff, who is a virtual lock In an admittedly unscientific poll, we set out to see if there to pull off a rare trifecta. Two weeks ago, Martina McBride’s is a difference in the Top 50 songs from a collection of stations album Shine debuted at No. 1 on the country run by Country-oriented PDs vs. Pop-oriented PDs. We created album sales chart. Last week, Keith Urban’s Custom Reports on the Mediabase website by selecting 20 Country Defying Gravity bowed at the top spot. And Aircheck/Mediabase reporters for each panel in a completely this week, all signs point to Rascal Flatts’ arbitrary fashion using only what we know about the PDs of the Unstoppable taking the chart pinnacle. And stations. We did our best to balance the panels by market size, each album was co-produced by the artist and company and geography. The airplay week is April 5-April 11, which the honorable Mr. Huff. Dann Huff corresponds to the Top 50 chart in this week’s Country Aircheck. “It takes a lot of luck for something like that We’ll start out with the caveat that one cannot expect to happen,” Huff told Country Aircheck today. “It takes a lot of too much deviation in a format as homogenous as Country. luck just to get to work with those kinds of artists.” And, especially in the upper reaches of the chart, one can Huff’s work on the three projects ended up being compressed probably expect a high degree of correlation since the hits as the various schedules were pushed and pulled in what the are, after all, the hits. (continued on page 6) producer calls “a perfect storm” at the turn of the new year. ©2009 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] April 13, 2009 Country Aircheck Weekly Page 2 MY TUNE S : MU S IC THA T SHAPED MY LI F E Nine North President Larry Pareigis discusses his most important songs, artists or concerts: 1. Paul McCartney, Lexington, KY’s Rupp Arena, April 1990: My first chance to see a Beatle (or a member of Wings to you younger readers). I’d never seen so many flashbulbs go off in my life. Oh, the music Larry Pareigis was pretty incredible too. 2. The Rolling Stones, Nashville, TN’s Our Favorite Things: Don’t miss “The Stars of Country Music” as they take Vanderbilt University, October 1997: Not my first time seeing over the Oprah Winfrey Show for an entire hour tomorrow (4/14). Pictured the Stones but the best. Mick Jagger complained about the early (l-r) are Sugarland’s Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles, Darius Rucker, start of the show (5pm due to sound restrictions), but they were Oprah, Carrie Underwood and Kenny Chesney. off the hook sonically. Keith is a rock and roll pirate who is often imitated but never duplicated. “My wife Sherri deserves a lot of credit for so many late night 3. Garth Brooks, Albuquerque, NM ‘s The Pit, June 1991: One of counseling sessions helping me deal with the stress of it. the greatest live acts ever in the venue; I swear the place picked “The hardest thing, other than separating all the details, was up, levitated and landed again after a full 360. Plus, it’s well known truthfully wanting to give my best to each of the artists,” he that the man does the greatest meet-and-greets in the history of says. “You don’t want to be generic in your approach. And these the format, and he was wonderful to me (in my first PD gig). three artists were so gracious in their understanding of my helter 4. Van Morrison, Nashville, TN’s Ryman Auditorium, March skelter schedule.” 2006: I’d never seen this mercurial genius play live before, and he’d never played Nashville before. He burned the place down with a superb 14-person band and the good humor (and taste) to Industry News just kill “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It” and “There Stands The Glass.” SESAC VP/Royalty Distribution & What a night. Research Services Hunter Williams has been 5. The Pixies Reunion, Morrissey, & R.E.M, The Ryman, October promoted to SVP/Strategy Development/ 2004: The greatest one-month trifecta of acts the good folks at the Distribution & Research Operations. Williams, Ryman ever booked. I’ve been to many amazing shows there since, who joined the company 16 years ago, will but there hasn’t been a single month like that one before or since. be responsible for creating new business • A highly regarded song or album you’ve never heard: Any CD by Brian Eno; great producer, haven’t ever heard his solo work. opportunities by utilizing the PRO’s licensing, Hunter Williams • An “important” piece of music you just don’t get: Bitches Brew distribution and copyright management. by Miles Davis. For me, it’s unlistenable. Renegade Writer Works has partnered with Rutledge • An album you played or listened to incessantly: Avalon by Nash & Associates to represent the songwriter/artists clients Roxy Music. of the management firm. RWW was launched by Rod Parkin • One obscure or non-country song everyone should listen April 1 and represents Regie Hamm, Sonya Kelly and Dolly to right now: “Smokestack Lightnin’” by Howlin’ Wolf (and watch Parton. Reach them at either [email protected] or info@ Cadillac Records on DVD if you get a chance). renegadewriterworks.com. ©2009 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] April 13, 2009 Country Aircheck Weekly Page 3 Grand Ole Opry gift shop, Opry Originals: The Shop On BIR T HDA ys Broadway, is set to open in Nashville April 16 at 300 Broadway. The official ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for Monday, Tuesday (4/14) - Loretta Lynn, Gary Moore April 20. Wednesday (4/15) - Roy Clark, Rick Huckaby, Amanda Gavron Songwriter Canaan Smith has signed with Disney Music ([email protected]), Bobby Kraig (bobbykraig@united. Publishing/Nashville. His cuts include Love And Theft’s net) “Runaway” and album track “Me Without You.” Saturday (4/18) – Kyle Lehning, Jim Scholten (Sawyer Brown), Marvin The 26th annual International Country Music Conference Evatt (Carolina Rain), Randy Guidry ([email protected]) is set for May 21-23 at Nashville’s Belmont University. Sunday (4/19) – Allen Mitchell ([email protected]) Registration is $100 by May 15. Details here. Monday (4/20) – Buddy Cannon The Lost Trailers Find New Way BNA’s The Lost Trailers have taken a unique approach with recycling. “There tend to be quite a few empty bottles and cans their current “Lean, Clean and Local Tour.” Mindful of the at our shows,” says LT’s Ryder Lee. “The local affiliates attend economy and the environment, the band have foregone the tour our concerts to help keep the venues clean by recycling and bus and crew in favor of flying commercially to gigs, renting raising awareness for a litter-free America.” local equipment and hiring local stage hands, lighting directors, Hiring local crew is an outgrowth of a December show where merch staff, audio techs and other production personnel. a locally-hired stage hand thanked the band for the work, saying The Lost Trailers calculate that eliminating tour buses has he hadn’t seen a paycheck in three weeks. “It’s very important resulted in an astounding 132-ton reduction in their carbon for us to do whatever we can to help the cities and towns that we emissions since September. And the band has partnered with play in, because ultimately these communities are the backbone Keep America Beautiful to promote waste reduction and of America,” the band’s Stokes Nielson says. “We’ve been blessed by their support of our music and this is how we’re giving back.” Plus, it makes it a lot harder for thieves to steal your equipment trailer when you don’t have one. Chart Chat Congrats to Rascal Flatts, Kevin Herring, Dale Turner, the entire Lyric Street Rascal Flatts promotion staff, the rest of the label Easy Being Green: The Lost Trailers at their tour kickoff this weekend in and Mickey Mouse, too, on hitting No. 1 with “Here Comes Albany, GA.