April 17, 2017, Issue 546 Power Gold 2017 The year-to-year rate of change in Country radio’s Top 100 Power Gold list appears to have slowed a bit. In fact, the 2017 PG 100 is more similar to the prior year’s list than any two-year comparison in the last six years. There are only 14 titles on this year’s list that weren’t on the 2016 Top 100. That compares to 36 new titles in 2016, 31 in ‘15, 39 in ‘14, 22 in ‘13 and 33 in ‘12. For a smaller influx of new Power Gold, you have to go back to 2011 when 13 songs that weren’t on the 2010 list appeared in the Top 100. The year prior, 2010 saw 10 new tracks hit the Top 100 for the first time. The 2017 Top 100 Power Gold is culled from Mediabase 24/7 and the Country Aircheck/Mediabase reporting panel for the week of March 12-18 is on page 9, but here’s the Top 10. 1. Jake Owen/Barefoot Blue Jean Night Pickin’ On The CEO: Roasters gather around TJ Martell 2. Florida Georgia Line/Cruise Foundation 2017 Ambassador of the Year, WMN’s John 3. Darius Rucker/Wagon Wheel Esposito, prior to a “roasting & toasting” in Nashville Monday 4. Zac Brown Band/Chicken Fried (4/17). Pictured (l-r) are WMN’s Matt Signore, McGhee 5. Miranda Lambert/Mama’s Broken Heart Entertainment’s Doc McGhee, WME’s Greg Oswald, Esposito, John Oates, TJM’s Laura Heatherly, CAA’s John Huie, Sony 6. Blake Shelton/Honey Bee ATV’s Troy Tomlinson, UMG/Nashville’s Mike Dungan and Live 7. Kenny Chesney/American Kids Nation’s Brian O’Connell. 8. Randy Houser/Runnin’ Outta Moonlight 9. Eric Church/Drink In My Hand Jake Owen 10. Eric Church/Springsteen Big Label Plans For Radio Texas artists don’t cross over well. Radio’s barely got time for Also slowing down this year is the number of songs debuting established labels. Single-artist promo teams seem to be going out at the lofty heights we’ve seen in recent years. The highest debut of style, not the other way around. So what’s the deal with Aaron this year is Thomas Rhett’s “Make Me Wanna,” which comes in Watson’s Big Label Records launching at No. 29. In 2016 and 2015, five songs debuted in the Top 10 a promotion team? (Breaking News, 3/31.) and in 2014 an amazing six songs made their first PG appearanc- How’s this going to be different? es inside the Top 10. The last year that no song debuted inside the In a lot of ways, apparently. And not just Top 10 is 2013; and, you have to go back to 2011 to find a year when it comes to Watson. In fact, if his man- when no new titles debuted in the Top 25. ager Anthony “Gino” Genaro and Head/ The 2017 Top 100 features 73 songs from 31 different male Promotion Tony Morreale have their way, artists, seven songs from two women, six songs from a pair of the label’s flagship artist will prove a business duos and 14 songs from six groups. That compares to last year’s model and establish an approach to radio Anthony 69 titles from 25 men, six songs from two women and 25 songs rarely seen from “new” artists. “Gino” Genaro (continued on page 7) ©2017 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] April 17, 2017 Page 3 Last things first, the promotion team only includes one other full-time staffer at this point – West rep Gwen Foster (see link on page 1 for details on the extended team). Where others have enlisted a full staff to support an established hit maker, Big Label is on a growth trajectory with Watson. And that trajectory is well defined at this point. The No. 1 al- bum debut of 2015’s The Underdog and last month’s No. 2 debut of Vaquero (behind Little Big Town) is the top line, but underneath, Genaro points to substantial investments in touring and building a fan base. Specifically, a systematic, state-by-state widening of his base, often foregoing better paydays. “I’ve seen Aaron draw thou- sands to a show that makes more money than my wife, a teacher, makes in a year, but then he’ll take a 60% door deal in a new market or take $1,000 to open for somebody,” Genaro says. Adds Yolo Logo: UMG/Nashville launches a new label, which looks a Morreale, “It’s humility. He wants to earn it.” lot like the former Mercury Records, to celebrate a new single At this point, only 10 states remain that release on add day. Also launched: a new dress code. Watson hasn’t played, so a national ap- proach isn’t the leap it might have been for Conversely, stations that get to Watson before he gets to them prior Texas success stories who “went from can expect reciprocation. “If you want to invest in Aaron, it’s the one state to the whole country,” Genaro says. start of a partnership and we need to invest as well,” Genaro says. Tony Morreale “They came to Nashville, waved the flag, “We need to come to your market and support you, especially shouted real loud, then went away. We’ve because you’re taking a bigger gamble than you would with a new gone from one state to three, to eight, and so on. The destination act at a label you’ve done business with for years. And because is the same. Our path is just very different.” of the network we’ve built, we have no problems with routing to a What that looks like at radio can vary. “Every time we go to a market and back. If you play us, we’ll be there.” market we’re looking at that next building configuration,” Genaro The turning point came last summer as Genaro and Watson says. Morreale offers an example: “We’ve already sold 300 tickets were looking ahead to the Vaquero release. “We had a growing in Tampa and have never set foot in the state to play. If a station business, but it was always about the next month, the next year,” plays his single ‘Outta Style’ to support the show, great. That Genaro says. “We hit the pause button and thought, we’re going makes a lot of sense. But we’re there to build the brand and grow to be here for a minute. We started having talks about what the the fan base either way.” next five to 10 years look like. I told him, ‘You can make the most ©2017 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] April 17, 2017 Page 5 amazing record, but we need soldiers to go beat down doors.’” MY TUNES: MUSIC THAT SHAPED MY LIFE Beyond Watson, the goal is to create something replicable. “As Triple Tigers' Russell Dickerson discusses his it builds, it will build,” Morreale says cryptically. Genaro is focused most influential music: on the economics. “If we don’t spend more than we make and 1. Keith Urban: I've been a huge fan of his we don’t go away, the last 15 years have shown it will continue to music since Golden Road and "Somebody Like grow,” he says. “This isn’t predicated on one single or one artist. You" came out when I was in high school. I We have a lot of employees with families and mortgages. We’re thought, "I want to make music that makes proud of that and we’re going to make it work.” Reach Genaro people feel something different than the last here and Morreale here. –Chuck Aly 150 songs they've listened to on the radio." 2. Keith Urban's live shows: I've been to at Chart Chat Russell least four Keith Urban concerts in Nashville. And Congrats to Jason Aldean, Carson Dickerson that's not me being in the industry like, "Hey, can James, Lee Adams, Jim Malito, Renee you hook me up with tickets?" It's like, "I've got to buy my ticket today Leymon and the Broken Bow promo team because I know it's going to be an amazing show, front to back." on scoring this week’s No. 1 with “Any Ol’ 3. Garth Brooks: I bought his whole Live From Dublin DVD Barstool.” The song is the third chart-topper set and just studied it like a game tape. I would watch his from They Don’t Know. Songwriters are Deric energy and how it gives the crowd energy, thinking, "I want Ruttan and Josh Thompson. that." He's obviously playing for thousands of people, but even And kudos to Dennis Reese and the RCA if I'm in a club with 200 people, I want the same experience. team on notching 31 adds for Jake Owen’s Jason Aldean 4. Michael Jackson: When you hear one of his songs, it just “Good Company,” topping this week’s board. stops you. I remember hearing "Black or White." I was eight years old and I remember going into Pizza Hut, putting quarters in the jukebox just to hear that song. News & Notes 5. Tim McGraw's "Something Like That": There's so many The Wilhite and Wall morning show adds KMTB/Nash- country songs about riding down a back road and listening to ville, AR as an affiliate.