Archive for February, 2010
CRS 2010 Recap Friday, Feb. 26
Saturday, February 27th, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Maybe it was just me, but it really did seem that this year’s CRS was a step in a new direction - a “whole new decade” as the slogan says. From the level of artist talent, to the speakers, to the agenda, CRS 2010 had a more streamlined feel that somehow gives you hope that future seminars will continue to evolve and reflect the current issues facing the Country radio industry. It’s no secret that the music industry hasn’t always been at the front of the line when it comes to implementing new ideas, so it’s encouraging to see CRS make some positive strides in that department.
Friday kicked off with the manager’s breakfast, followed by a host of panels that covered topics including how to work with shrinking promotional budgets, PPM issues, radiothons and a comparison of Arbitron and Nielsen methodology. This year’s CRS Hot Topic panel focused on the “Art of Transition” - that dreaded process by which one must morph from the ranks of employed to unemployed and back to employed again. While there weren’t too many hard and fast rules offered up by the panel to help deal with this process, it goes without saying that it’s just part of the business. Don’t panic, don’t take it personal, and don’t forget that’s why you should be networking at CRS!
Emily West and Eric Church entertained attendees at the Capitol luncheon, but after Universal’s epic lineup on Wednesday and Sony’s Alan Jackson/Danny Gokey/Brooks & Dunn sandwich yesterday, the last luncheon of CRS understandably lacked the firepower of the previous two. Still, both artists put on great performances, and EMI officially revealed that EMI Records Nashville will begin operations in the near future.
CRS 2010 Town Hall panelists and moderators. Photo: Bev Moser
The Town Hall panel is designed to put its panelists on the spot and this year’s crew fielded questions written on a beach ball, ranging from the pros and cons of radio single life cycles to playlist diversity to the “elephant in the room” - performance royalties. The latter was introduced with only minutes left in the session and probably not a minute too soon for panelists and record execs Mike Dungan (Capitol) and John Esposito (Warner). Also serving on the panel were Redneck Records’ Gretchen Wilson, WUBL’s Scott Lindy and Alpha Broadcasting’s Larry Wilson. The Town Hall panel is a great idea, but I can’t help but wonder if it might be more effective if it kicked off CRS on opening day, for instance.
A highlight of every CRS is the New Faces show. This year, Randy Houser, Gloriana, Love & Theft, Justin Moore and Chris Young were the lucky performers chosen as Country radio’s “next big things.” The lineup
New Faces of Country Music performers at CRS 2010. Photo: Bev Moser
mixed a fair amount of pop-rock/contemporary-country, courtesy of Gloriana and Love & Theft, plus a healthy dose of more traditionally-oriented material from Young and Houser. Justin Moore provided the “good ol’ boy” element quite nicely. Notable moments included Love & Theft’s overall impressive harmonies (which seem to be earning a name for the male trio rather quickly), Houser’s “Anything Goes” and rocking rendition of “Boots On,” Young’s adept cover of “Rainy Night in Georgia” and Gloriana’s even more surprising cover of the Doobie Brother’s “Black Water.” Justin Moore closed out the show with plenty of attitude, performing hits like “Small Town USA” and “Backwoods” before ending with “I Could Kick Your Ass,” which, by the end of CRS, it certainly felt like mine had been.
After New Faces, it was off to the Digital Rodeo “Guilty Pleasures” show, which was held again this year at Cadillac Ranch. This was the second year the DR camp has put on this show, and honestly, it’s a lot of fun. If you’ve still got the energy, it’s a great way to end CRS and start the weekend, if you know what I mean. The lineup was pretty lengthy, but I remember seeing performances from Emily West, Mallary Hope, Laura Bell Bundy (an extremely entertaining version of “Proud Mary” - complete with dance routine and backup dancers, I might add), Buddy Jewell, Julie Roberts, Coldwater Jane, Mark Wills… plus probably a few more that I forgot.
So, there it is… another CRS in the books. I have to give the CRB a lot of credit - they faced a lot of obstacles this year in putting together Country Radio Seminar, and I thought they did a more-than-admirable job. I know they will be looking closely at what worked and what didn’t at this year’s event to continue developing next year’s seminar with the same forward-thinking philosophy that made this one a success. I heard a lot of positive comments about CRS 2010, and that bodes well for the future of Country Radio Seminar.
So mark your calendars for next year… CRS 2011: March 2-4, 2011!
Until then,
Ryan
CRS 2010 Recap - Thursday, Feb. 25
Thursday, February 25th, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
The Convention Center was full of bright ideas and eye-opening research data on Thursday. Morning panels covered topics on how to properly interview an artist, methods to increase station revenue and the perpetual question of balancing variety vs. repetition in playlists.
The big panel of the day, however, was this year’s CMA research project, which revealed a dizzying amount of data and focused largely on the impact of the economy on today’s Country music fan. If you’re a member of the CMA, you can access the full research data here, but the big picture is that, like every genre of music, Country has taken a hit thanks to the economic downturn. The good news is that Country music thus far seems to have weathered the storm better than anybody else, and a big reason why is because of Country radio. Listenership increased in the last year from 6.4 hours/wk in 2008 to 9.9 hours/wk in 2009. Monthly listening has gone up from 79 percent of fans to 93 percent of fans last year. Overall, the research showed that radio is still king when it comes to influencing fans’ tastes and behavior.
Alan Jackson at the Sony Music luncheon. Photo: Bev Moser
The bad news is that the hardcore Country fanbase seems to have shrunk slightly, from 39 percent in 2008 to 37 percent in 2009. One of the reasons that news is particularly disheartening is because those core “CountryPhile” fans make up the majority of consumer spending. CDs, legal downloads and concert ticket sales declined an estimated 28 percent in the last year. And, once again, data showed that a significant portion of fans (roughly a third) would listen to more Country radio if there was less repetition and deeper playlists.
The Sony luncheon offered up three artists that represented perfectly the arc of a Country artist’s career at radio. First, there’s newcomer Danny Gokey, who is the latest American Idol contestant to try their hand at a career in Country music. Then there’s Alan Jackson, who has sent more than a few singles to the top of the charts and is still arguably at the top of his game. Lastly, there was the special announcement from Brooks & Dunn, who are entering the final stages of their career as a duo at Country radio. (The announcement, by the way, was that the proceeds from their final show in Nashville would all go to the Country Music Hall of Fame). You can’t help but think of the success that acts like Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn have had without also acknowledging the importance of radio.
Easton Corbin (l) with Tom T. Hall before WCRS Live. Photo: Bev Moser
The CMA Research Workshop was one of the more energetic and enthusiastic panels I’ve attended thus far. Intended to further explain the data that was presented during the CMA research panel, it ended up turning into more of a point-counterpoint discussion on the relative merits of said data. It was refreshing to see and certainly entertaining. I applaud the passion that drives our industry to work through our differences and try to find a way to make this business still work.
Next up was a showcase I’d been looking forward to since it was announced - Tom T. Hall, Wynn Varble and Easton Corbin at WCRS Live. No disrespect to Wynn or Easton, but I was really looking forward to seeing Tom, one of the few Country artists I’ve never gotten the chance to see in a live setting. He didn’t disappoint, either, charming the crowd in between songs with his deadpan humor and then wowing them with songs like “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died,” “Homecoming” and “I Love.” Mr. Hall, thanks.
Next up tomorrow: Hot Topics, New Faces and Guilty Pleasures!
Ryan
CRS 2010 Recap - Wednesday, Feb. 24
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 | Aristo PR, Country Radio Seminar, aristomedia | No Comments
CRS 2010 kicked off in a big way on Wednesday. Although there weren’t too many panels today, the artists were out in force! First though, financial guru Dave Ramsey delivered the seminar’s keynote address, which acknowledged the epic challenges the radio industry is facing in a slow-to-recover economy and digital world.
Performers at the CRS 2010 UMG luncheon at the Ryman Auditorium.
The Universal luncheon was the first official CRS 2010 artist performance, and it was an impressive one. Held for the first time ever in the Ryman Auditorium, UMG offered up a total of 18 of their artists for the show: Easton Corbin, Laura Bell Bundy, Josh Kelley, Coldwater Jane, Randy Montana, Mallary Hope, Ashton Shepherd, Randy Rogers Band, Ryan Bingham, David Nail, Julianne Hough, Billy Currington, Jamey Johnson, Gary Allan, Josh Turner, Lee Ann Womack, Vince Gill and Sugarland. The highlights were many: Jamey Johnson’s introspective “That’s Why I Write the Songs” and Ryan Bingham’s ”The Weary Kind” (from the film Crazy Heart) to Vince Gill’s poignant “Bread & Water” and Sugarland’s powerful “Wide Open.” As far as I know, the scope of a luncheon like what UMG pulled off has never been seen before at Country Radio Seminar, and hopefully it won’t be the last time, either. I mean, when’s the last time you saw 18 different performances during your lunch break?
Turning back to the educational panels for a moment, best-selling author Bob Rosner led attendees through his “Workplace 911″ panel, and a collective of label execs offered advice in the “Label Partnerships” panel on how to secure and execute successful artist appearances at radio events. Rodney Atkins delivered an acoustic performance at the end of the panel as a special treat for those in attendance.
Next up was another artist performance event that benefited from an updated theme this year. The normal KCRS Live! songwriter showcase was replaced with “Storytellers with Darius Rucker.” Rucker was joined on stage for performances by Radney Foster, as well as co-writers Frank Rogers, Chris Stapleton, Ashley Gorley, Chris DuBois and Clay Mills.
Taylor Swift performs at the CRS 2010 Music City Jam. Photo: Bev Moser
If the first day was any indication, CRS 2010 really has undergone a facelift of sorts. The artist/attendee welcome reception was an event that made its return to Country Radio Seminar this year, giving the industry folks a chance to mingle with some of the artists in a more casual environment. In years past, the Artist Radio Taping Sessions often became the place to shoot the breeze, and with the A.R.T.S. going digital this year, the welcome reception seemed like a natural choice to add back into the revamped CRS agenda. The turnout was good, and everyone seemed to enjoy the chance to have a few drinks at the end of the day.
One of the most anticipated events of the evening was, of course, the performance by Taylor Swift at the Music City Jam. Julianne Hough and Gloriana also joined the young superstar on stage during her 10-song set. Swift performed hits like “Love Story,” “You Belong With Me” and “Fifteen” before closing with “Should’ve Said No.” Kudos to Country Radio Broadcasters for nabbing arguably the biggest star in Country music today to close out the first day of CRS 2010. It was quite a day.
More updates coming soon!
Ryan
CRS 2010 Recap - Tuesday, Feb. 23
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 | Aristo PR, Country Radio Seminar, aristomedia | 1 Comment
Wednesday, Feb. 24
The 2010 class of the Country Music DJ and Radio Hall of Fame was inducted last night in downtown Nashville, Tenn. The Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony unofficially kicks off Country Radio Seminar each year at the Nashville Convention Center, and this year’s event was completely sold out.
The 2010 class of the Country Music DJ and Radio Hall of Fame. Photo: Bev Moser.
The 2010 class included Cy Blumenthal (deceased), Dan Halyburton and Mike Hammond on the Radio side, and Bill Bailey, Laurie DeYoung and Rudy Fernandez on the DJ side. The evening also saw Brooks & Dunn honored with the CRB Career Achievement Award and Charlie Cook receive the CRB President’s Award.
The biggest surprise of the evening was undoubtedly the appearance by Taylor Swift, who introduced WIVK’s Mike Hammond during the ceremony. Swift told the story of how Hammond was one of the first people to ask her to perform live on-air, and what it meant that he “took a chance” on her artistry as an unknown 15-year-old aspiring Country singer. During his speech, Hammond spoke of their first meeting as well, recalling the moment he told his DJ after Swift’s performance that they had just witnessed a superstar in the making.
Dierks Bentley performed an acoustic, bluegrass-inspired cover of Brooks & Dunn’s “Red Dirt Road” with members of the McCoury family as a tribute to the legendary duo. “I figured I can’t out-honky-tonk Kix, and I can’t out-sing Ronnie, so I figured I might try to out-bluegrass ‘em,” Bentley said.
The evening made for an enjoyable and entertaining start to CRS 2010. I’ll be posting more updates in the next few days, so be on the lookout for those…
Ryan