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February 16, 2021, Issue 2

Day One: Stream A Little Stream

CRB Exec. Dir. RJ Curtis and board president Kurt Johnson welcomed attendees, CMA’s Sarah Trahern accepted the President›s Award, Rascal Flatts received the Career Achievement honor and CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience got underway quite smoothly. The first day revolved around Country Radio Seminar’s first-ever Streaming Summit anchored by four “DSP 101” RJ Curtis and Kurt Johnson sessions, a TikTok panel, deep dive data analysis and a fireside chat about digital culture. And in a continuation of CRS tradition, the whole thing was capped with music.

Summit & All Of It

Following a welcome address from UMGN VP/Marketing-Digital Accounts and CRS Streaming Summit Committee Chair Annie Ortmeier and a short definition of terms offered by Warner Sr. Analyst

Feel The Heat: Performers at Amazon Presents: Country Heat Priscilla Block, Shy Carter, and Tim McGraw. Recap on page 5.

Addison Nunes and Warner VP/Strategic Marketing Victoria “Torie” Mason, the Streaming Summit opened with Amazon. Amazon Music Principal/Product Marketing Katie Schlosser Vitolins walked attendees through the functionalities of Amazon Music and its corresponding app, contrasting the end user

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experience with the artist experience. Sharing fan engagement statistics from Amazon’s Daily Voice Index and breakouts by fans versus superfans, Vitolins said Amazon Music is focused on activating fan engagement and elevating the user experience to cultivate artist superfans. She also noted the programming philosophies behind in-house playlisting and station-based versus artist-based listening. Pandora Artist & Industry Insights specialist Jay Troop showcased AMP and NextBigSound initiatives during “DSP 101: Jay Troop Pandora.” Troop recounted how and why Pandora is different from other platforms with its standard, plus and premium experiences. He then noted the differences regarding Pandora’s data points, including the thumbs-up and thumbs-down metrics and radio replays. Troop also explained artist and tracklevel station adds and monthly listener data that assists Pandora in reporting fan engagement via its NextBigSound, AMP, Chartmetric, Music Connect & MRC and Listener Charts. He wrapped the session with a discussion of the playlisting and stories products via Pandora’s AMP offerings. Spotify Product Marketing Lead Charleton Lamb and Mgr./ Product Marketing-Creator Josephine Ruiz-Healy joined for “DSP 101: Spotify For Artists.” The pair ran through the benefits and functionality of the Spotify For Artists platform before discussing the various methods used to reach listeners and engage and convert fans. “Spotify is all about discovery,” said Lamb. He noted the difference in Editorial versus Personalized playlists and showcased the platform’s global charts. The team also explained

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Charleton Lamb and Josephine Ruiz-Healy

the process for pitching music to Spotify playlist curators. “Stopping fraud and fraudulent streaming is important to Spotify, and you cannot buy your way onto a Spotify playlist,” emphasized Lamb. Ruiz-Healy explained the fan engagement products offered within the platform itself, include Canvas, Marquee, Creator Promo Cards and Wrapped. The platform breakout sessions concluded with “DSP 101: YouTube Analytics” presented by YouTube Mgr./Artist & Label Relations Margaret Hart. The session included an overview of channel optimization and content strategy, promotional framework, growing viewership and converting fans. Hart advised YouTube content creators to find their voice as it relates to the platform before building out a release schedule for content. She shared the multitude of ways to upload music-adjacent content to YouTube, including lyric videos, visualizers, live performances and dance videos in addition to the traditionally produced music video. Hart also detailed non-music content that can help artists grow fan engagement and build a brand, including vlogs, playlists, tour diaries and behind-the-scenes videos. The presentation concluded with an overview of video optimization techniques and Googlebased analytics for reviewing important data points and statistics.

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The general terms and concepts discussed in each of the platform-based 101 sessions will be utilized in presentations throughout the duration of CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience when discussing streaming platforms and their adjacency to Country radio, artists and listeners. –Monta Vaden

Time TikToks On

Many in the business had never heard of TikTok a year ago; since then, the platform has approached household name status and launched careers. “Music is core to the creative DNA that is TikTok,” said the company’s Head of Music Content/ North America Corey Sheridan during the “TikTok Ya Don’t Stop” session Tuesday. UMGN VP/Digital Marketing Tony Grotticelli introduced the panel with impressive stats, including that 176 different songs have surpassed one billion TikTok views. “This platform is moving the needle,” he said. RCA’s Andrew Jannakos spoke to that reality firsthand. Faced with the inability to tour last year, The Voice alum focused more on reaching his fans through social media and watched a TikTok video of singing in his own kitchen take off. “I wasn’t trying to go viral,” said Jannakos, “[but] I signed a record deal because of TikTok.” All the panelists agreed authenticity is one of the most critical ingredients to any kind of success. “[Priscilla Block] took everyone along with her every step, from work tapes to creative,” said her manager, Dennis Entertainment/InDent Records’ Charly Salvatore. Jannakos concurred, “You see past the artists, you see the person.” –Chris Huff

(clockwise from top left) Charly Salvatore, Tony Grotticelli, Andrew Jannakos, Corey

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I Talk The Line

“Talk Data To Me” was a reprise of popular metrics panels of years past, and in this case was moderated by Stone Door Media Lab’s Jeff Green. “Programming radio is a craft, and a craft is a combination of art and science,” said Integr8 Research President Matt Bailey. “You can have all the data in the world, but you need the creative side.” The case of Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” was brought up. In 2020, the album track ranked seventh overall in country streaming but was 243rd in Country radio airplay. MRC Entertainment Director/Radio Haley Jones responded to a question of whether audiences are different by saying, “Obviously, people love that song. Don’t poo-poo the data. There are lots more ways a song can become a hit today [than just radio].” MRC Data VP/Research Matthew Yazge added that the majority of country streamers also listen to the radio. “Seventyeight percent of country fans listen to the radio; 59% stream,” he says. “To ignore what’s happening in streaming is to ignore a large segment of preferences.” Bailey added, “It’s important to understand what you’re looking at with data points. ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ was the No. 2 tester for Coleman Insights overall but only ranked 53rd among country fans,” shedding light on the difference between streaming data and more traditional research. “The main advantage callout has is it gives you a complete picture of what your listeners think about a song.” And with callout, the results aren’t going to be instantaneous. “Song development is like baseball,” said Bailey, as songs will take time, and different speeds, to round the bases and potentially become a home run. The panel’s tips about how best to sort through the myriad data that’s available? “All sources of data are right, they’re telling you different things,” said Bailey. “Understand what they’re telling you.” Yazge asked, “Who’s represented in the data, when is it from, what is it telling you?” Added Jones, “If there’s a way to bring all data into one spreadsheet, that’s a win-win.” –Chris Huff

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Fireside With YouTube’s Allocca

With nary a flame in sight, YouTube’s Kevin Allocca was interviewed by Billboard’s Melinda Newman during Tuesday’s “Fireside Chat.” Opening with the platform’s Culture & Trends report (view here), the session focused on the arguably singular perspective YouTube brings to culture and music’s place therein. Much of the discussion focused on the quest to go viral. “Some people think of viral as popular on the internet, but the more precise way to think about it is viral is something that is distributed through interaction,” Allocca said. The ingredients – something unexpected, audience participation and an accelerator – don’t exactly add up to a replicable formula. But understanding how those moments take on a life of their own is important. “There are a lot of artists who are very good at acknowledging their audience and the role they play in the expression of their work,” he said. On the other hand, a common mistake is being inauthentic or forced. “Trying to do the thing everyone is doing can backfire,” he said. “The people who stand the test of time aren’t chasing trends. They’re optimizing.” –Chuck Aly

Some Like It Heat

Hosted by newly announced syndicated radio host Kelly Sutton (CAT 2/16) with assistance from Alexa, Amazon Music Presents: Country Heat concluded CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience’s inaugural Streaming Summit today (2/16). Now in its fourth year, the showcase featured performances by Amazon Music “Artists to Watch in 2021 and Beyond” Track45, Shy Carter, Priscilla Block and Kameron Marlowe and headliner Tim McGraw. Track45 invited viewers to “Come On In” and followed with the trio’s debut single, “Met Me Now,” impacting March 1. Both songs are featured on the second of their introduction EPs, Big Dreams, announced today (2/16) with a release date of Feb. 26. “I hope you love it, and it makes you feel good inside,” said Carter of current single “Good Love.” Ending with “The Rest Of Us,” Carter offered Country radio an enthusiastic “Woooooooo!” Body-positive anthem and TikTok sensation “Thick Thighs” kicked off Block’s set, which also included “Just About Over You,” a song written over FaceTime that fans rallied together to independently fund the recording of after hearing. Following yesterday’s (2/15) appearance during the 27th Annual Pre-CRS Seminar (coverage here), Marlowe performed his first song to Country radio, “Sober As A Drunk,” and the track he credits as the reason “I’m getting to be up on this stage,” “Giving You Up.” “My career got started in a big way many, many moons ago here at CRS,” recalled New Faces Class of 1994 member McGraw. The closer opened with “Shotgun Rider,” a song referenced in the following “7500 OBO” from 2020’s Here On Earth. Also from the 2020 album were “Good Taste In Women” and “Gravy.” “Amazon Music, you’ve done so much for country music in such a short period of time since all this started,” concluded McGraw. “We really appreciate all your efforts you put in on our behalf.” —Caitlin DeForest

The Day Ahead Wednesday, 2/17 crsvirtual2021.com

10-10:50am Programming Mentoring Breakfast Sponsored by vCreative Bruce Logan, Carletta Blake, Charlie Cook, Cindy Spicer, Gail Austin, Gator Harrison, Jeff Kapugi, John Foxx, Johnny Chiang, Mark Anderson, Meg Stevens, Mike Kennedy, Mike Moore, Mike Preston, Rod Phillips, Steve Geofferies, Tim Roberts

10:50am CRHoF Inductions: Victor Sansone Sponsored by Curb Records Induction by Kix Brooks 11-11:50am Post Pandemic Playbook Sponsored by Westwood OneDaniel Anstandig, Johnny Chiang, Dave Kelly, Nicole Bergen, Susan Larkin, Todd Lawley 11am-12pm St. Jude Networking Lounge 11:50-11:55am CRS/Country Aircheck Awards Small Market MM/GM, Medium Market MM/GM, Large Market MM/GM and Major Market MM/GM

Page 5 1:50-2pm CRHoF Inductions: Tim Wilson Sponsored by Curb Records Induction by Tim Closson 1-3pm St. Jude Networking Lounge Connect with friends, colleagues, panelists and mentors in an intimate, virtual networking lounge. 2-2:50pm Talent Loving Coaching Bobby Bones, Brian Moore, Fitz, Mike Preston, Randy Lane, Rod Phillips, Scott Mahalick, Tara Ward

11:55am-12pm Pre-Lunch Performance: June N Joey Sponsored by River Run Records

2-2:50pm Music Scheduling Workshop Sponsored by MusicMaster Brent Michaels, B-Dub, Kristopher Jones, Tony Lorino

12-12:50pm Warner Music Nashville Lunch Dan + Shay, Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Drew Parker, Ian Munsick, Michael Ray, Robyn Ottolini, Shy Carter

2:50-3pm CRS/Country Aircheck Awards Gold Label, Independent Promotion Team or Executive and New Face of Country Music

12:50-1pm CRS/Country Aircheck Awards Small Market Personality/Show, Medium Market Personality/Show and National Personality/ Show

3-3:50pm Country Trailblazers: Luke Combs, Maren Morris Sponsored by AllAccess. com Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Ann Powers

1-1:50pm Blind Date With Your Audience Sponsored by HD Radio Jimmie Allen

4-4:50pm Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley Sponsored by Country Top 40 with Fitz and First Horizon Thomas Rhett, Rhett Akins, Parker Welling

1-1:50pm Imaging Workshop Chadd Pierce, Jake Kaplan, Joey Tack, Matt Warren