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February 24, 2022, Issue 2

AOB: What’s A Radio?

Albright & O’Malley & Brenner’s 28th Annual Pre-CRS Seminar kicked off yesterday morning (2/23), with three datapacked hours. BMLGR artist Laci Kaye Booth opened the session with an acoustic performance of three unreleased tracks, “If Things Go South,” “Don’t Ask Me To Dance” and “True Love.” CMA VP/Strategic Initiatives Emily Evans was next, joined by Reach Owner/Pres. Lindsay Bertelli and Wasserman Music VP/ Branding Chappel McCollister to discuss creating successful sponsorship integrations. Bertelli underscored the importance of listening more than talking when assessing a potential partner’s goals. “Learn as much about the brand as possible before you pitch,” added McCollister. In terms of activation, Bertelli said, “No more prize wheels – get creative.” Evans added that the goal should be to leave fans with a positive, memorable experience. Futuri CEO Daniel Anstandig then looked at the “Next Gen Of Country Listeners,” detailing results from a study of more than 2,000 media users. “They still want you, but you have to be accessible where they are now,” Daniel Anstandig said Anstandig in reference to smart speakers and mobile usage. The buzzword of Anstandig’s session was “omnichannel,” as consumers don’t think in terms of “radio” and “TV” now, they think of “audio” and “video.” See the study here. A&O&B’s Kenny Jay dug into the TikTok phenomenon with Underscore.Works CEO Charly Salvatore. SmackSongs’ Marissa Turk was unable to join in person but remotely offered her thoughts from being a part of the viral success of Walker Hayes

A O Kaye: Albright & O’Malley & Brenner kick off their 28th Annual PreCRS Seminar yesterday morning (2/23). Pictured (l-r) are A&O&B’s Kenny Jay, BMLGR’s Laci Kaye Booth, Mike O’Malley and Becky Brenner. last year. “Any single person can be successful on this platform once you find your lane,” she said. Salvatore added “consistency” as one of the keys to finding success with the platform. The 16th edition of A&O&B’s Roadmap surveyed a total of 7,861 country music fans across the US and Canada. Fully 96% said they listened to Country music in their car on an AM/FM radio in the past 30 days, a number that was off just 1% from the previous year. However, a big shift of in-car listening found DSP usage surged from 36% in 2020 to 56% last year. Listening to DSPs on mobile devices also rose – 62% to 69% – while listening to AM/FM radio

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outside of the car declined 68% to 65%. Nearly half of respondents (48%) said they own a smart speaker, with another 25% indicating they may buy one in the future. More than half (55%) said they had listened to their favorite Country station on a smart speaker in the past 30 days. Mobile phones also represent a huge area of listening opportunity with 54% of listeners saying they’d used one to listen to their favorite station, prompting one repeated point: “If you have a phone, you have a radio.” Respondents who say Country music is “getting better” was up 26% to 27%, with “about the same” increasing 56% to 58% and “getting worse” decreasing for the first time in six years 19% to 15%. Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen were the two most-often mentioned artists in reference to why the music is improving. The percentage of people who said they had not discovered any new artists in the past year increased from 49% to 52%. There was “wide chronological acceptance” among all ages of eras ranging from the early ‘90s boom through today’s currents and recurrents. Prior to COVID, 74% of those surveyed worked full-time in an office; the number now is 57%. Those working from home on a full-time basis jumped from 8% to 16%, with an additional 15% working part-time in an office. To see more about Roadmap 2022, reach A&O&B here. –Chris Huff

Streaming Summit: Metrics Matter

CRS Wednesday’s Streaming Summit opened with “Introduction To Chartmetric,” as company Founder/CEO Sung Cho presented the platform’s prodigious data analysis features. Noting that music data isn’t new, its ubiquity is, Cho suggested the music business may soon use data at a level now commonplace in the finance industry. He shared Chartmetric’s ability to track millions of artists across socials, DSPs, radio, television and other media; how it finds brand affinity and interest alignments for artists and their audience; and suggested ways radio can use Chartmetric data in both programming and sales. One example was getting ahead of trends by Sung Cho spotting a new or catalog song that is going viral on a digital platform like TikTok. Focusing on country data, Cho presented a global ranking of non-unique listeners by city, with Dallas, Atlanta and Chicago on top and Australia’s Sidney and Brisbane also in the top 10. Country market share in the ranking ranged from eight to 15%. He also showed pronoun and gender preferences across its universe of tracked artists, with half being male, 21% female and 28% using they/them – mostly bands, he explained. Finally, an audience question prompted him to offer a free 30-day trial to anyone using the coupon code CRS2022. –Chuck Aly

SS: Every Twitch Way

“Twitch Livestreaming For Music” was moderated by Red Light Head/Digital Marketing & Streaming Allison Laughter and featured a conversation between Red Light marketing executive Kimsey Kerr, Twitch Mgr./Business Development For Premium Music Content Kacie Lehman, Country Now Editor-in-Chief and Country Now Live Twitch host Lauren Black and MCA artist Jordan Davis. The panel explained base-level usages and benefits of Twitch for livestreaming music events and offered best practices. With more than 31 Kacie Allison million average daily visitors, 67% Lehman Laughter of whom list music as their top personal interest, Kerr stated Red Light was “excited about the live performance aspect ... and seeing the audience engage on a different platform.” ©2022 Countr y Aircheck™ — All rights reser ved. Sign up free at w w w.countr yaircheck .com. Send news to news@countr yaircheck .com

February 24, 2022

A case study of Country Now and Red Light’s partnership with Twitch, specifically regarding the performance by Davis that drew more than 410,000 live viewers, was discussed. “Music is an emotional connection, and that’s what we want to build a community on,” stated Lehman. Davis touted the platform’s ability to offer a new way to Lauren Black connect with fans amid the pandemic shutdown: “We were able to bring full production, be on stage and give my band a paycheck.” As for the best practices of using Twitch’s platform – and its “Emotes,” “Bits” and other interactive features – the panel agreed on the following: • The broadcast has to be live-live; no live-to-tape Jordan Davis or prerecorded broadcasts are aired via Twitch. • Be consistent. • Create audience engagement within the platform. • Build a community around your brand. • Monetize that fanbase via Twitch’s connectivity apps and offerings. –Monta Vaden

Warner Lunch: Out Of The Loop

“When we left this building [after] CRS 2020, we didn’t know our world was about to be turned upside down,” began Warner Music Nashville Chairman & CEO John Esposito. “To be put in a twoyear state of ‘weirdness,’sadness and uncertainty.’ I hope, like me, you are all more appreciative, dialed in and fired up than ever!” Despite those, both Esposito and SVP/Radio Kristen Williams chose to focus on the triumphs during the label group’s fourth annual CRS luncheon. “The last time I introduced this luncheon, I declared we were going to break three female artists, and that’s

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exactly what we did,” continued Esposito, pointing to Ashley McBryde, Gabby Barrett and performer Ingrid Andress, who later broke out her Sam Hunt impression — crotch grab included — for “Wishful Drinking.” Kicking the event off was newest signee Breland, who debuted TikTok’s answer to “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” the yet-to-bereleased “Praise The Lord,” followed by Drew Parker’s “Raised Up Right.” Morgan Evans experienced “the worst Ingrid possible thing that could happen” when his Andress loop pedal – which had one job – failed to loop. “At least it’s not an important gig or anything,” he joked before playing an acoustic rendition of “Country Outta My Girl.” Jessie James Decker shared her journey to the stage, including four record deals and a “forced pop radio tour,” leading into “Should Have Known Morgan Evans Better,” and honky-tonk and dive bar alum Randall King encouraged the audience to “drink beer and yell profanities” as they listened to the title track from his major label debut Shot Glass. “We spent a good amount of time during quarantine working [his] last single,” Williams said of Michael Ray, whose “Holy Water” draws from the ‘90s country singers he often invites on his virtual Honky Tonk Tuesday. Cody Johnson’s standing ovation-earning “’Til You Can’t” preceded Chris Janson’s penultimate performance of “Bye Mom” and a four-song closing set by Zac Brown Band, which included “Same Boat,” “Out In The Middle,” “Colder Weather,” “Chicken Fried” and enough clapping to rival a plane landing. –Caitlin DeForest

SOUL FOLLOWING FOUR CONSECUTIVE #1S

February 24, 2022

Honors: Look For The Helpers

CRB Exec. Dir. RJ Curtis officially welcomed attendees during Wednesday afternoon’s (2/23) “CRS Honors.” “I’ve been waiting two years to say this – welcome to CRS!” exclaimed Curtis to the gathering crowd. “You know that State Farm commercial? ‘Oh, it’s happening, sweetheart!’” Curtis highlighted the networking, bonding and collaboration of CRS, which he called “the secret sauce,” before introducing the CRB/CRS staff and reminding attendees of the health and Kurt Johnson, Callista safety protocols of the event. Clark and RJ Curtis Townsquare SVP/Content & Programming and CRB Board Pres. Kurt Johnson took the stage to introduce Big Machine’s Callista Clark, who sang The National Anthem. “We now stand in a different world [than at CRS 2020] ... so we come here to reunite. Country is family.” He reminded attendees that the CRB strives to provide actionable takeaways, so attending panels is recommended – but so is having “fun, fun, fun” during the week. CRS 2021 Artist Humanitarian Award recipient Luke Bryan introduced – via video – a “beyond worthy” Jason Aldean, who was named the 2022 Artist Humanitarian (CAT 1/25) due in part to his philanthropic work with Susan G. Komen, Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olsen Children’s Hospital and Onsite Foundation. Prior to Aldean receiving the honor, representatives from each shared their stories of connection to the organizations supported by Aldean. Amy Fish, breast cancer survivor, noted Aldean’s efforts to raise more than $4.1 million for Susan G. K

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omen in 10 years before presenting him with a custom-made hat signed by Dolly Parton in honor of his efforts. The Snow family told of their son Matthew’s need for NICU care from Navicent and the hospital’s impact on the lives of both their children. And Route 91 survivor Taylor offered a moving look at how her life was changed during the tragedy in Las Vegas and how, because of the financial contribution from Aldean, she was able to receive PTSD support via Onsite’s “Triumph Over Tragedy” program. “I’m a little upset Luke won this before me,” Aldean quipped as he stepped to the microphone. “When you’re fortunate enough to be put into a position like I’ve been ... it’s a no-brainer. You should want to help.” Aldean remained onstage as Audacy VP/Country Format Captain Tim Roberts joined to unveil the Country Radio Hall Of Fame Class of 2022 (CAT 2/23). The session ended with an emotional video of each inductee being told of their selection via surprise Zoom meetings prior to the event before Johnson dismissed attendees with a reminder to enjoy being able to gather again. –Monta Vaden

Heads Of State: Pittman

The first of the highly touted “Heads Of State” sessions ended up being a lightly attended and pre-recorded interview between iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman and All Access’ Joel Denver. The macro-level discussion of radio and audio in general began with a discussion of innovation born of the pandemic. “Clearly this has changed work forever,” said Pittman, who noted multiple ways iHeart is adapting its offices and work schedules to take advantage of new learning. He disagreed with the premise that radio’s audience is in decline. “We know PPM has some real problems,” he said. “There are a lot of occasions in the home that PPM misses.” Noting that meters have to be worn, he posited that people don’t do that when stuck at home in a pandemic. “I didn’t

COMING SOON

February 24, 2022

put keys or money in my pockets for two months,” he said. He also disagreed that radio has given up the music discovery position. “When we launched MTV, one of the reasons the music companies embraced is radio had stopped playing new music.” DSPs, like MTV, can start new music, but Pittman thinks it remains radio’s job to “bring a song home” to mass acceptance. –Chuck Aly

SS: Talk Data To Me

Streaming among Country fans continues to catch up with that of other formats, as shown in 2021 metrics presented by MRC Head of Independents Haley Jones. Country consumption was up from 63 million streams in 2020 to 72m in 2021, an increase of 14%. WWKA/Orlando PD Steve Stewart revealed his typical music meeting lasts three hours and displayed a spreadsheet he uses that combines data from his research and streaming info to give him a composite of his market’s tastes. Coleman Haley Jones Insights Pres. Warren Kurtzman cautioned, “There is a very big difference between streaming data and callout data. Streaming doesn’t tell you if you put that song on the radio how many people aren’t going to like it.” With streaming seeing such large increases in the past year, Kurtzman further implored, “One of the biggest challenges radio faces is we need to reintroduce our brands to consumers because they’ve been disconnected from us; we can’t assume people will go back to the same usage patterns.” –Chris Huff

SS: Connected Car

“It’s not a matter of if, but when, you no longer need to operate a vehicle [and] you can have a screen that gives you IMAX capabilities,” predicted General Motors Sr. Mgr./Global Digital Experiences Timothy Babbitt. AT&T Dir./Vehicle Solutions Ashton Pierre said of the future implications of 5G connected cars, “The most exciting things are the things we can’t think of yet.” Spotify Sr. Mgr./Automotive Business Development Jonathan Tarlton says the seamless integration between listening in Ashton Pierre, Jonathan Tarlton and home and in car will Tim Babbit

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mean an even more customized listening experience. “The more you listen and engage, our [playlist] recommendations are only going to get better,” he said. –Chris Huff

HoS: Esposito & Wilson

In the second of six “Heads of State” features, McVay Media Pres. Mike McVay moderated a discussion with and between Warner Music Nashville Chairman/CEO John Esposito and Townsquare CEO Bill Wilson. The two executives shared their philosophies on A&R techniques, chart speed, local versus national programming and the future of music and radio while sipping from a bottle of Macallan scotch Esposito brought to the stage. “Having lived through 45s, vinyl and cassettes ... the best thing about John Esposito, Mike new technologies is reducing McVay and Bill Wilson friction,” shared Esposito. Both Wilson and Esposito noted a need to grow, connect to and monetize the country music fanbase, with both touting internal strategies for handling the changing business landscape. Leading into a conversation about hyper-localism, Esposito said “the need for curation on an even bigger level” in order to compete with “the noise” is key. Wilson concurred, noting that Townsquare’s business model centers around acquiring and running radio stations in markets outside of the Top 50 to maintain a focus on local talent and news; he believes radio talent are “the original social influencers.” Wilson said the company’s digital initiatives have helped reinvest in local radio. Diversity and inclusion in the format were also discussed, with Esposito sharing philosophies regarding hiring and promoting talent and seeking new talent via internal-yet-outward-facing efforts. “We are hellbent on ... making people feel welcome,” said Esposito. “You have to remain dedicated to it.” Regarding diversity in artists, he also said that his focus was on letting “geniuses feel welcome and try to give them a platform.” Wilson also shared he is proud to boast that approximately half of his 67 market presidents are now women. The two finalized the session by accepting questions from the audience, restating a commitment to “clearing the log jam” of slow-moving songs on the Country radio charts, exchanging mutual admiration for one another and raising their glasses of Macallan to their shared belief that the future looks bright for Country radio and country music. –Monta Vaden

February 24, 2022

The Day Ahead Thursday, 2/24

6:30-7:50am Believers Breakfast Sponsored by Curb Omni, Level 2, Legends A-C

9-9:50am Heads Of State: Alpha’s Bob Proffitt and BMG’s Jon Loba Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 9-9:50am The Net Worth Of Networking Omni, Level 3, Cumberland 1-2

6:30am-2pm Ryan Griffin And Red Street Records’ Hangover Cure Omni, Level 1, Bongo Java

9-9:50am Video Builds The Radio Star Omni, Level 2, Legends A-C

7am-4pm 3P America Wellness & Testing Center Omni, Level 3, Mockingbird 2-3

9am-12pm St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Juice Bar Omni, Level 2, 5th Avenue Hallway

8-8:50am Programming Mentoring Breakfast Rod Phillps, Kurt Johnson, Ashley Wilson, Ryan Wild, Aaronee Cottam, Bruce Logan, Tim Roberts, Pepper Daniels, Ashley Morrison, John Foxx, Clay Walker, Marci Braun, Kenny Jay, Meg Stevens Omni, Level 3, Cumberland 5-6 8am-4:30pm Wellness Check-In Desk Omni, Level 2, 5th Avenue Hallway 8am-5pm Exhibitor Booths Omni, Level 2, Broadway Hallway 8am-5pm The Row Omni, Level 2, 5th Avenue Hallway 8:30am-5pm St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Internet Café Omni, Level 2, Legends Hallway, Music Row 4 9-9:50am Cashing In On Creativity: 10 Turbo Charged Ideas To Capture Attention & Revenue Omni, Level 3, Cumberland 3-4

10-11:15am CRS Research Presented by NuVoodoo Media Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 11:30am-1:50pm Team UMG At The Ryman Luncheon Kassi Ashton, Dierks Bentley, Priscilla Block, Boy Named Banjo, Brothers Osborne, Jordan Davis, Sam Hunt, Little Big Town, Kylie Morgan, Jon Pardi, Keith Urban Ryman Auditorium 2-2:50pm Digesting The Date: A 2022 Reality Check Sponsored by Quu Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 2:50-3:20pm Rev Up Your Socials Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 3:30-4pm Sayonara, Stale Thinking: Prioritizing Innovation On Your Team Featuring Futuri’s Daniel Anstandig Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 4-4:50pm Heads Of State: Beasley’s Caroline Beasley and UMG’s Mike Dungan Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G

Page 9 7-10pm Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 10pm Paddle Royale Ping Pong Tournament Ingrid Andress, Morgan Evans, Gator Harrison, Clay Hunnicutt, Kid Rock, Lady A, Scott McCreery, Jon Pardi, Mitchell Tenpenny, Royce Risser, Tim Roberts Omni, Level 2, Legends C 10pm-12am Acoustic Throwdown Sponsored by Spin Doctors Music Group Hampton Inn & Suites, 4th Avenue 11:30pm-12:30am Salt, Lime & Tequila With Ryan Griffin Omni, Level 1, Main Lobby Library Friday, 2/25 7am-6pm 3P America Wellness & Testing Center Omni, Level 3, Mockingbird 2-3 7:30-8:50am Women Mentoring Breakfast Sponsored by NuVoodoo Media Services Marci Braun, Jessica “Carsen” Humphreville, Mandy McCormack, Jenna Johnson, Dawn Santolucito, Kelly Ford, Hillary Borden, Monta Vaden, Angela Lange, Rachel Whitney, Tali Canterbury, Kimsey Kerr, Dana Swearingen, Mackenzie Cooper, Traci Lee, Rakiyah Marshall, Becky Brenner, Jensen Sussman, Amber Anderson, Lynn Oliver-Cline Omni, Level 3, Cumberland 5-6 7:30-8:50am Label Mentoring Breakfast Tim Foisset, David Friedman, Matt Brum-Taylor, Nikki Wood, Sarah Knabe, Tanya Shrage, Norbert Nix Omni, Level 3, Cumberland 3-4 7:30-10am Records Nashville Breakfast Omni, Level 1, Kitchen Notes

February 24, 2022 8am-5pm The Row Omni, Level 2, 5th Avenue Hallway 8am-6:30pm Wellness Check-In Desk Omni, Level 2, 5th Avenue Hallway 8:30am-4:30pm St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Internet Café Omni, Level 2, Legends Hallway, Music Row 4 9-9:50am Heads Of State: Hubbard’s Ginny Morris and BMLG’s Scott Borchetta Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 9-9:50am Radio Punchbusters: The Anti-Tune-Out Approach To Non-Commercial Omni, Level 3, Cumberland 1-2 9am-12pm St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Juice Bar Omni, Level 2, 5th Avenue Hallway 10-10:30am Someone’s Got To Say It: Country Radio Has A New Role Featuring Country’s Radio Coach’s John Shomby Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G

10:40-11am Leading Through An Ever Changing Landscape Featuring Strategy & Leadership, LLC’s Liz Allen Fey Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 11-11:50am I’m A Fraud: Dealing With Imposter Syndrome Omni, Level 3, Cumberland 1-2 11-11:50am Standy By Your Brand Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 11:45am-12pm Pre-Lunch Performance Sponsored by PickleJar Omni, Level 2, Broadway Hallway

Page 10 2-2:50pm The Business Of Touring Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 3-3:50pm Heads Of State: Audacy’s David Field and Sony Music Nashville’s Randy Goodman Sponsored by CMA Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 4-4:50pm Artist Spotlight Interview: Blake Shelton Sponsored by BMI Omni, Level 2, Legends D-G 5:30-6:15pm New Faces of Country Music Cocktail Reception Sponsored by Futuri Omni, Level 2, Broadway Hallway

12-1:50pm Big Machine Label Group Lunch + Performance Sponsored by BMLG Lady A, Carly Pearce, Riley Green, Callista Clark, Laci Kaye Booth, Jackson Dean, Tiera Kennedy Omni, Level 2, Broadway Ballroom

6:30-10pm New Faces of Country Music Dinner and Performance CRS/Country Aircheck Awards Presentations; Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award Winner Heather Froglear; Gabby Barrett, Walker Hayes, Parker McCollum, Jameson Rodgers, Lainey Wilson Omni, Level 2, Broadway Ballroom

2-2:50pm Don’t Hate Us Cuz You Ain’t Us! What We Can Learn From Other Music Formats Omni, Level 2, Legends A-C

10pm-12am Acoustic Throwdown Sponsored by Spin Doctors Music Group Hampton Inn & Suites, 4th Avenue