Charlie Cook On Air: The Holiday Sales Push

Charlie Cook

Charlie Cook


You know I am a big fan of the CMA research department. If you and your station are wondering whether you should be a CMA member, just having access to the research studies throughout the year (8-12 studies) can be reason enough. Karen Stump and her staff do a great job making sure the studies are actionable. The information is useful for personalities, programmers and of course sales staffs.
The new study deals with Holiday retail shopping habits of Country Music Consumers. The study was conducted via an online survey in August 2013 against 778 (members of the CMA Insider Consumer panel) respondents 18+.
This has not been the best year, economically, for America but 89% of the respondents say they plan to do additional shopping for Christmas. And of these shoppers, 52% will begin before Black Friday with another 17% panning to start the day after Thanksgiving. If you’re like me you stay far away from malls as you digest your turkey dinner but 50% of the shoppers will be in the stores that day. Cyber Monday has become another excuse to goof off at work and 67% of these folks will be online shopping (and checking Facebook) on December 2nd.
When you are in the store be sure you’re looking at the $75 and (slightly) under category. The average amount spent per Christmas gift is $72. In a perfect world for Music Row that would be six CDs but in real life 63% of shoppers are spending the gift money on Clothing and Shoes, 52% say DVDs and video games; 50% say toys and 49% say music/CDs.
Because this is a country music listener study, alcohol is the second most popular holiday spending category. Almost the entire panel (95%) will purchase holiday-specific food for Thanksgiving. Seventy-two percent will spend money on alcohol for New Year’s Eve. Halloween has become a huge spending holiday with over three quarters of these folks spending money on decorations. Those paper turkeys and funny New Year’s hats are also great targets for spending with about half of the revelers taping them to their walls.
In this group of almost 800 consumers the 18-34 males should be your target for music messages. Almost a third of this demo is planning to spend on music for New Year’s. So this is not gift giving music but personal music to account for what they did not receive in their stocking. This could be gift card purchases.
On average, Country Music Consumers will spend nearly $1000 this Christmas. The number only creeps up over $1000 in households with children. But if you think you’re going to be able to keep your card balance in check, think again. Add in Thanksgiving, New Years and Halloween and average amounts slams into $1700.00.
Four out of 10 of these consumers will buy music so some of that $1000 makes its way to Nashville. But now is not the time to start spending that bonus money, because three of the four top retailers that these shoppers are most likely to shop on Black Friday do not carry music.
1. Walmart (90% shop Walmart for holidays)
2. Walgreens (74%)
3. CVS (70%)
4. Kohl’s (68%)
5. Best Buy (62%)
6. Target (60%)
7. Dollar Tree (60%)
8. JCP (58%)
9. Staples/Office Depot (58%)
10. Bed Bath and Beyond (57%)
I hope some of this material will help you communicate with your audience and help you get ahead of the sales push.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)

Weekly Chart Report (10/11/13)

Sheryl Crow (R) recently visited with 93Q’s Christi Monson (L) at the station’s New Faces of Country show, which featured Crow, Chris Stapleton, Jon Pardi, Drake White, Eric Paslay, and Brothers Osborne. Crow’s latest WMG Nashville single is “Callin' Me When I'm Lonely.”

Sheryl Crow (R) recently visited with 93Q’s Christi Monson (L) at the station’s New Faces of Country show, which featured Crow, Chris Stapleton, Jon Pardi, Drake White, Eric Paslay, and Brothers Osborne. Crow’s latest WMG Nashville single is “Callin’ Me When I’m Lonely.”


SPIN ZONE
After spending 18 weeks on the chart, Miranda Lambert’s “All Kinds of Kinds” takes the No. 1 spot with 3210 spins. Lambert is the first female singer to top MusicRow’s chart in months, and the trend is likely to continue with Taylor Swift’s “Red” landing at No. 2. Swift has received several AMA nominations and will be awarded her sixth NSAI award on October 13. Meanwhile, Blake Shelton’s “Mine Would Be You” falls to No. 3, while Darius Rucker’s “Radio” climbs three spots, moving to No. 4. Eli Young Band’s “Drunk Last Night” holds steady at No. 5. Rounding out the Top 10 this week is Eric Paslay’s “Friday Night” at No. 6, Jake Owen’s “Days of Gold” at No. 7, The Band Perry’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” at No. 8, Keith Urban and Lambert’s “We Were Us” at No. 9 and Joe Nichols’ “Sunny and 75” at No. 10.
Florida Georgia Line’s “Stay” is the week’s greatest gainer, bounding to No. 30 with another 479 spins. Urban and Lambert’s “We Were Us” breaks the Top 10, landing at No. 9 with an added 358 spins. Lady Antebellum’s “Compass” guides the band to No. 58 with 251 spins, while Amber Hayes’ “Any Day Is A Good Day” moves to No. 27 with an added 189 spins. Finally, Rucker’s “Radio” climbs closers to No. 1, reaching No. 4 with 187 more spins.
MusicRow welcomes six dynamite debuts this week, with Lady Antebellum’s “Compass” debuting at No. 58, Brett Eldredge’s “Beat Of The Music” at No. 66, Leah Turner’s “Take The Keys” at No. 73, Alexandra Demetree and Wes Hayden’s “Lay It On Me” at No. 76, Jerrod Niemann’s “Drink To That All Night” at No. 77 and Rodney Atkins’ “Doin’ It Right” at No. 79.
Frozen Playlists: WEIO, KMKS, WXXK, KZPK
jerry mac

Jerry Mac

NewsMusicRow reporting station KZPK FM (St. Cloud, MN) is searching for an afternoon PD to replace current afternoon APD Jerry Mac when he leaves the station later this month. The station has placed the following employment listing:

Programming / Afternoons: Wild Country 99/KZPK (St Cloud, MN) is looking for a programming superstar/afternoon drive host that lives and breathes radio. Do you find yourself doing appearances for fun? Do you love going to concerts and hanging with P-1’s and buying them pizza? Do you love to be a part of the biggest country music concerts in Central MN? Do you come up with crazy-fun moneymaking ideas for sales? If you think the best way to do radio: is to interact with listeners and use compelling content, then send me something now! We are looking for a personality that “gets” it. Rush me your tape and resume to: msenne@leightonbroadcasting.com. No calls please. Leighton Broadcasting is an equal opportunity employer.
Currently, all music calls and mailing can be sent to Music Director Brook Stephens (BStephens@leightonbroadcasting.com) at 619 West St. Germain Street, St. Cloud, MN  56301

One lucky KUPL winner and 50 of their friends were treated to a Joel Crouse acoustic backyard show. Pictured (back row):  KUPL Morning show DJs Monica, Howie and Jake.(front row): SDU’s Lisa Owen, Crouse and KUPL Promotion Director

One lucky KUPL winner and 50 of their friends were treated to a Joel Crouse acoustic backyard show. Pictured (back row): KUPL Morning show DJs Monica, Howie and Jake. (front row): SDU’s Lisa Owen, Crouse and KUPL Promotion Director


Upcoming Singles
October 14
Aaron & Amanda Crabb/If I’m Guilty/differencemedia
Grayson/You & America/Way Outback Records
Old Crow Medicine Show/Dixieland Delight/ATO Records
Dan + Shay/19 You + Me/Warner Bros.-WAR
Rodney Atkins/Doin’ It Right/Curb
Sins Country/Muscadine/Go Time Records
Lady Antebellum/Compass/Capitol Nashville
Brad Puckett/At Least I’m Feeling, Again/SMG Records
Chris Carmack/What If I Was Willing/Valory
Sammy Hakim/Get A Little Closer/Lamon
October 21
Samantha Landrum/What If/Reviver Records
Ty Herndon/Lies I Told Myself/Flying Island
Jerrod Niemann/Drink To That All Night/Sea Gayle-Arista Nashville
Rachel Farley/Midnight Road/Red Bow
Weston Burt/Smile That Smile/HitShop
Kacey Musgraves/Follow Your Arrow/Mercury
Justin Moore/Lettin’ The Night Roll/Valory
October 28
Little River Band/You Dream, I’ll Drive/Frontiers
Mitch Goudy/Blow These Speakers Out/Third Floor Records
Blackjack Billy/Get Some/Bigger Picture
November 4
Tyler Farr/Whiskey In My Water/Columbia Nashville
New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Lady Antebellum/Compass/Capitol – 58
Brett Eldredge/Beat Of The Music/Atlantic-Warner Bros. – 66
Leah Turner/Take The Keys/Columbia Nashville – 73
Alexandra Demetree and Wes Hayden/Lay It On Me/SSM Nashville – 76
Jerrod Niemann/Drink To That All Night/Arista Nashville – 77
Rodney Atkins/Doin’ It Right/Curb – 79
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Florida Georgia/Line Stay/Republic Nashville – 25
Lady Antebellum/Compass/Capitol Nashville – 19
Leah Turner/Take The Keys/Columbia Nashville – 17
Justin Moore/Lettin’ The Night Roll/Valory Music – 12
Josh Pruno/Cut Offs/Lawrence Music Group – 12
Brett Eldredge/Beat Of The Music/Atlantic-WMN – 12
Kacey Musgraves/Follow Your Arrow/Mercury Nashville – 10
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Florida Georgia Line/Stay/Republic Nashville – 479
Keith Urban feat. Miranda Lambert/We Were Us/Capitol Nashville-Hit Red Records – 358
Lady Antebellum / Compass / Capitol – 251
Amber Hayes/Any Day Is A Good Day/GMV Nashville-A-OK Entertainment – 189
Darius Rucker/Radio/Capitol – 187
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Laura Bell Bundy/Two Step/Big Machine – 194
Kari & Billy/Play Me A Fiddle Song/Kari & Billy – 193
Will Hoge/Strong/Prospector-Crescendo – 191
Skylar Elise/Gypsy Soul/Sugar Money Records – 189
Breelan Angel/Halfway To Wasted/Momentum-MisBhavin’ Records – 168
Dan + Shay took time to visit with Mr. Bob & Rick Brooks aka “Big Red” to promote “19 You+Me,” their Warner Brothers single. Pictured (L-R): Mr. Bob (PD, WOGK), Dan Smyers, Rick Brooks (MD, WOGK), Shay Mooney and Tom Martens (WMG)

Dan + Shay took time to visit with Mr. Bob & Rick Brooks aka “Big Red” to promote “19 You+Me,” their Warner Brothers single. Pictured (L-R): Mr. Bob (PD, WOGK), Dan Smyers, Rick Brooks (MD, WOGK), Shay Mooney and Tom Martens (WMG).

Committee Seeks To Block New SESAC Rates

rmlcThe Radio Music License Committee has filed paperwork with a request to prevent performing rights organization SESAC from bringing about new royalty rates, reports RAIN. SESAC is expected to reveal a five-year radio industry licensing rate plan; the Radio Music License Committee filed an injunction recently to delay the rate increase until after the lawsuit has been resolved. The RMLC represents radio stations’ rights to utilize music within their terrestrial broadcasts and digital streaming.
In 2012, the RMLC filed an anti-trust complaint in federal court against SESAC. New radio licensing rates were established in May 2012.

Industry Ink (10-9-13)

Jay Thomas

Jay Thomas


Jay Thomas has returned to the independent promotions business by reopening his Jay Thomas Promotions, which previously operated for more than two years from 2010 to 2012. Thomas has extensive radio contacts throughout the country at Mediabase & BDS-monitored stations, as well as in the secondary markets on the Billboard Indicator and MusicRow levels.
He spent 20 years in Country radio as a program director, music director, and on-air host. In addition to his own promotion business, Jay has been a regional promoter for Streamsound and Treehouse Records and has covered the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast regions. Thomas can be contacted at jaythomaspromo@gmail.com or at 703-888-1826.

• • •

AIMP111Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) Nashville Chapter will host the seminar, Google/YouTube & The Harry Fox – Optimizing Royalties: Initiative Impacting Music Publishers, on Oct. 15. The member-only event will take place from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at the W.O. Smith School in Nashville. Speakers will include Anjali Malhotra, who joined Google in May 2010 and currently handles some of YouTube’s top music partners as part of business development. John Raso oversees Harry Fox Agency’s Client Services team of agents who provide support to HFA-affiliated publishers. Member reservations for the seminar can be sent to Heather Cook. For more information, visit aimp.org.

• • •safe haven family shelter

Items autographed by Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert, Aaron Lewis and other artists will be up for auction on Thursday (Oct. 10) as part of the Safe Haven Hike for the Homeless Patron’s Party, which will take place at Nashville’s Pinnacle Building (28th floor). Attendees can enjoy food, drinks, and live music from musician Rick Monroe. The party is in support of the ninth annual Hike for the Homeless, which will take place at Edwin Warner Park on Saturday, Nov. 2.
The event cost is a $50.00 per person donation and tickets can be found at safehaven.org.

• • •

karaokeSOLID/WMBA will co-host their Howl-O-Scream Charity Karaoke Challenge at Dan McGuiness on Oct. 24 from 7 p.m.- 10 p.m. Music Industry professionals are invited to challenge their friends to sing karaoke. There is a $5 minimum donation to enter someone’s name with the song of their choosing; the more money donated, the sooner the friend takes the stage to perform. If they choose not to sing, they must match your donation but if they want you to sing instead, they must up the ante, by a minimum of $5.
All proceeds of the event will be donated to Songs for Sound, a Nashville-based charity benefiting profoundly deaf children through cochlear implants. Anyone wishing to opt out of the karaoke portion can donate $10. There will also be contests including the Jack-O-Lantern contest (the professionals with the best pumpkin will win a price), the Bobbing for Apples Challenge and a Costume Contest with prices for Most Inappropriate, Scariest, Most Original, Best Couple/Group Costume.
Limited drinks and appetizers will be provided courtesy of SOLID and WMBA.

CRS Early Bird Rate Deadline Approaching

CRS2014-Logo The 2014 Country Radio Seminar Early Bird rate deadline for registration is fast approaching. The early rate of $399 will expire Nov. 1.  After Nov. 1, registration for the annual event jumps to the regular rate of $499. Nov. 1 is also the last day stations can sign up to receive digital liners, a program introduced in 2010 to replace the on-site Artist Radio Taping Sessions.
The Country Radio Seminar Board and Agenda Committee gathered in Nashville last week to discuss ideas for the upcoming seminar.
“Plans are coming together to make this year’s event an unforgettable one and one you can not afford to miss,” said Country Radio Seminar Executive Director, Bill Mayne. “Ideas are flying in and the planning teams are building an incredible list of events and panels for the CRS 2014 attendees to enjoy.”
Those registering for CRS will receive a ticket to the annual New Faces Show until the event is sold out. The show has sold out in advance for the past three years. Country Radio Seminar 2014 will be held at the downtown Nashville Convention Center February 19-21, 2014. To register for the three-day event, please visit countryradioseminar.com.

'MusicRow' No. 1 Song

blake-shelton1featured

Blake Shelton


Warner Bros. Records artist Blake Shelton lands at this week’s MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart No. 1 spot with “Mine Would Be You.”
The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year sits atop the chart thanks to Canadian singer-songwriter Deric Ruttan and 2013 MusicRow Song of the Year award winners Connie Harrington and Jessi Alexander, who penned the title.
As one of the few ballads we’ve seen take the No. 1 title this summer, it has taken 17 weeks for the title to migrate to the position. Not to mention, Shelton’s wife Miranda Lambert is storming up the charts behind him with her RCA single, “All Kinds of Kinds,” in the same amount of time.
Shelton can currently be seen on Season 5 of NBCs The Voice, which premiered Sept. 23 and coincides with the end of his Ten Times Crazier Tour this weekend (Oct. 5) in Wichita, Kan. In addition to those weekly primetime slots on NBC, Shelton is nominated for five trophies in November at this year’s CMA Awards on ABC, including Entertainer of the Year,
 Male Vocalist of the Year,
 Album of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and 
Video of the Year.
Shelton will appear on Nov. 22 as part of the 2013 George Jones Tribute Concert in Nashville, alongside a slew of additional guests who will honor the legend.

Charlie Cook On Air: The Nielsen Numbers

Charlie Cook

Charlie Cook


If you have read this space at all over the last few years you know I am a defender of radio. My entire adult life has been spent working in radio, so I am obviously a believer in its pluses. I appreciate all of the other audio services and I use most of them at one time or another during a month. Nielsen Audio (the old Arbitron) recently released a RADAR study touting the strengths of radio. Some of the numbers are quite impressive.
Radio continues to be vital to Americans, as 92% of everyone in the country listens to radio each week. Google says 314 million people live in America. The 92% is a big number but the actual number of 289 million people listening to radio each week really puts it in context.
It is fashionable to believe this is not true with the younger listeners. Certainly they have abandoned radio for all of the other services. The numbers do not back up this assumption. Millennials- Persons 12-34 come in at 92%. Persons 35-49, referred to as Gen X deliver 95% and Baby Boomers (50-64) are at 94%. It is only the Silent Generations, persons 65+, that fail to deliver over 90%. The numbers stand up with African Americans (92%) and Hispanics (94%).
As a programmer I know attracting these numbers to radio is impressive but making sure they listen for long periods of time is the only way to create a business for our sales departments and for selling CDs and downloads on a music station. American radio listeners tune into for over 2 ½ hours per day.
I know these numbers are big and many of you may think they are not true because you and your friends don’t consume radio at these levels. You probably also don’t watch 34 hours of TV a week either. But that is the number, also reported by Nielsen. Next to the NSA, Nielsen knows more about Americans than we want.
The other day I was watching the Tigers on MLB.com, listening to the Lions on Sirius and reading the Wall Street Journal. All at the same time. I wonder why I live alone? We have a capacity to do more than one thing at a time and one of the benefits of radio is being able to multi-task.
I have nothing against Pandora, Spotify and all of the rest. But it is radio that delivers for its partners. When it comes to quick service restaurants, convenience stores and clothing stores radio, over 90% of radio listeners visit these shops, and often right after hearing one of their commercials. This according to a Scarborough USA+ reports of persons age 18+.
The other services are not set up to quantify their consumers, though they certainly can measure tune in and usage. The research put in place for radio listeners delivers useful information for our partners like home ownership (70%) and employment (70%). Radio can prove our listeners have disposal income for music, concert tickets and those $30 artist T-shirts. In fact, the Millenial-heavy radio listeners are 41% more likely to be “swayable shopaholics” than the average person. The heavy listeners are radio’s friends and what we present to them has positive consequences for our partners.
I keep using the term partners because I believe this is why radio is still so viable. Partnerships with artists and record companies. Partnerships with sponsors for remote broadcasts and contesting. I hope Nashville will continue to understand this partnership is important to radio and work with us to get everyone’s share of disposal income. You can believe I will remain an advocate because it is easy to be in favor of something so positive in its results.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)

Weekly Chart Report (10/04/13)

SPIN ZONE

Atlantic/Warner Bros. artist Brett Eldredge (L) recently spent some time on air with KFDI MD Carol Hughes (R) promoting his latest single “Beat Of The Music,” which lands On Deck this week.

Atlantic/Warner Bros. artist Brett Eldredge (L) recently spent some time on air with KFDI MD Carol Hughes (R) promoting his latest single “Beat Of The Music,” which lands On Deck this week.


After spending 17 weeks on MusicRow’s chart, Blake Shelton’s “Mine Would Be You” takes the No. 1 spot with 3363 spins. The Country crooner’s spouse Miranda Lambert is close behind, with her single “All Kinds of Kinds” landing at No. 2. Luke Bryan’s “That’s My Kind of Night” sinks to No. 3, while Taylor Swift’s “Red” holds steady at No. 4. Meanwhile, Eli Young Band’s “Drunk Last Night” breaks the Top 5, jumping to No. 5. Rounding out the Top 10 this week is Eric Paslay’s “Friday Night” at No. 6, Darius Rucker’s “Radio” at No. 7, Jake Owen’s “Days of Gold” at No. 8, The Band Perry’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” at No. 9 and Joe Nichols’ “Sunny and 75” at No. 10.
Keith Urban and Lambert are the greatest gainers for the fourth consecutive week, with their song “We Were Us” shooting to No. 12 with another 502 spins. Meanwhile, Florida Georgia Line’s “Stay” skyrockets to No. 46 with 474 spins in its first week on the chart. The successful duo recently celebrated their success and previewed their upcoming tour for industry members in Nashville. Sara Evans’ “Slow Me Down” climbs to No. 38 with an added 245 spins, while The Band Perry’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” reaches No. 9 with another 241 spins. The band’s Kimberly Perry is far from lonely after her recent engagement to Blue Jays pitcher J.P. Arencibia. Finally, Hunter Hayes and Jason Mraz’s “Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me” leaps to No. 28 with an additional 238 spins.
MusicRow‘s Chart welcomes six debuts this week, with Florida Georgia Line’s “Stay” debuting at No. 46, Hank Williams Jr. & Merle Haggard’s “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink” at No. 71, Chris Weaver Band’s “Raise The Dead” at No. 72, Jason Sturgeon’s “Angel Eyes” at No. 78, Austin Webb’s “Slip On By” at No. 79 and Laura Bell Bundy’s “Two Step” at No. 80.
Frozen Playlists: KWWR, WAKG, KITX, KYEZ, WKWS
Josh Thompson (Show Dog – Universal), UMG’s Chris Stapleton (UMG) and Easton Corbin, and Frankie Ballard (WMN) joined KNCI Sacramento for their first ever, sold-out Country Uncorked wine and music event. Thompson’s “Cold Beer With Your Name On It” claims our No.  24 spot, while Ballard’s “Helluva Life” takes our No. 41 spot, while Stapleton lands at No. 36. Pictured (L-R): WAR’s Raffaella Braun, Frankie Ballard, KNCI’s Byron Kennedy, Chris Stapleton, KNCI’s Matt Vieira, Josh Thompson, Show Dog-Universal Music’s Lisa Owen, Easton Corbin and Mercury’s Summer Harlow

Josh Thompson (Show Dog – Universal), UMG’s Chris Stapleton (UMG) and Easton Corbin, and Frankie Ballard (WMN) joined KNCI Sacramento for their first ever, sold-out Country Uncorked wine and music event. Thompson’s “Cold Beer With Your Name On It” claims our No. 24 spot, while Ballard’s “Helluva Life” takes our No. 41 spot, while Stapleton lands at No. 36. Pictured (L-R): WAR’s Raffaella Braun, Frankie Ballard, KNCI’s Byron Kennedy, Chris Stapleton, KNCI’s Matt Vieira, Josh Thompson, Show Dog-Universal Music’s Lisa Owen, Easton Corbin and Mercury’s Summer Harlow.


Upcoming Singles
October 7
Leah Turner/Take The Keys/Columbia Nashville
Aaron Watson/July In Cheyenne/HTK Records
Brad Long/Every Heart Has a Different Road/Blackwater Records
Susan Ashton/Moonshine/Be Music & Entertainment
Florida Georgia Line/Stay/Republic Nashville
Josh Pruno/Cut Offs/Lawrence Music Group
October 14
Aaron & Amanda Crabb/If I’m Guilty/differencemedia
Grayson/You & America/Way Outback Records
Old Crow Medicine Show/Dixieland Delight/ATO Records
Dan + Shay/19 You + Me/Warner Bros.-WAR
Rodney Atkins/Doin’ It Right/Curb
Sins Country/Muscadine/Go Time Records
Lady Antebellum/Compass/Capitol Nashville
October 21
Samantha Landrum/What If/Reviver Records
Ty Herndon/Lies I Told Myself/Flying Island
Blackjack Billy/Get Some/Bigger Picture
Jerrod Niemann/Drink To That All Night/Sea Gayle-Arista Nashville
Rachel Farley/Midnight Road/Red Bow
Weston Burt/Smile That Smile/HitShop
October 28
Little River Band/You Dream, I’ll Drive/Frontiers
Mitch Goudy/Blow These Speakers Out/Third Floor Records
New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Florida Georgia Line/Stay/Republic Nashville — 46
Hank Williams Jr. & Merle Haggard/I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink/Blaster — 71
Chris Weaver Band/Raise The Dead/American Roots Records — 72
Jason Sturgeon/Angel Eyes/Toolpusher — 78
Austin Webb/Slip On By/Streamsound — 79
Laura Bell Bundy/Two Step/Big Machine — 80
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Florida Georgia Line/Stay/Republic Nashville – 41
Randy Houser/Goodnight Kiss/Stoney Creek – 18
Little Big Town/Sober/Capitol – 16
Lady Antebellum/Compass/Capitol – 15
Sara Evans/Slow Me Down/RCA – 13
Parmalee/Carolina/Stoney Creek Records – 9
Taylor Made/Somewhere Between/Little General Records– 9
Jerrod Niemann/Drink To That All Night/Arista Nashville – 9
Chris Weaver Band/Raise The Dead/American Roots Records – 9
Leah Turner/Take The Keys/Columbia Nashville – 9
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Keith Urban feat. Miranda Lambert/We Were Us/Capitol Nashville-Hit Red Records — 502
Florida Georgia Line/Stay/Republic Nashville — 474
Sara Evans/Slow Me Down/RCA — 245
The Band Perry/Don’t Let Me Be Lonely/Republic Nashville — 241
Hunter Hayes feat. Jason Mraz/Everybody’s Got Somebody But Me/Atlantic-Warner Bros. — 238
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Brett Eldredge/Beat Of The Music/Atlantic/Warner Bros. — 177
Lady Antebellum/Compass/Capitol — 175
Kari & Billy/Play Me A Fiddle Song/Kari & Billy — 163
Joe Allen/Looks Like It’s Raining/Stubborn Horse Records — 162
Breelan Angel/Halfway To Wasted/Momentum/MisBhavin’ Records — 161
Charlie Worsham recently performed songs from his album Rubberband for KASE listeners. Pictured (L-R): Bob Picket (MD – KASE), Ray Vaughn (Southwest Regional – Warner Bros./W.A.R.), Charlie Worsham & JT Bosch (PD – KASE)

Charlie Worsham recently performed songs from his album Rubberband for KASE listeners. Pictured (L-R): Bob Picket (MD – KASE), Ray Vaughn (Southwest Regional – Warner Bros./W.A.R.), Charlie Worsham & JT Bosch (PD – KASE).

Rdio Launches Free Streaming Stations For iOS and Android Users

rdio logo111Rdio has unveiled that its personalized streaming stations are now free on mobile to all iOS and Android users. The stations launched Thursday (Oct. 3), and are free for all users, including those whose subscriptions or trials have ended. Any user can access Rdio’s stations, which draw from over 20 million songs, at no cost through the Rdio mobile app.
400 genre stations are available on Rdio as well as You FM and Friend FM — personalized stations inspired by an Rdio user’s taste in music and likes on Facebook. Since launching in August, nearly 2.3 million stations have been created. Rdio also features station sharing via Facebook, Twitter and with other users on Rdio for mobile users. Playlist and album stations can also be created.
“Station plays are up over 50 percent since our launch in August,” said Drew Larner, Rdio’s chief executive officer. “We’re excited to make one of our most popular features available to everyone for free, forever.”
Non-stop listening for free on Rdio’s stations is available on Rdio for iOS and Android in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

2014 Country Radio Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

Larry Wilson

Larry Wilson


The CRS Board of Directors has announced the 2014 Country Radio Hall of Fame inductees in both the Radio and On-Air categories. The radio inductees are Larry Wilson, Alpha and L&L Broadcasting, and Mike Brophey, WKLB in Boston, Mass. The inductees in the On-Air category are Paul Schadt, WKKT in Charlotte, N.C., and Jim Denny, WFMS in Indianappolis, Ind.
The class of 2014 will be officially inducted at a dinner ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Nashville Convention Center. The ceremony unofficially kicks off Country Radio Seminar week each year. CRS 2014 will be held February 19-21. The Country Radio Hall of Fame is dedicated to the recognition of those individuals who have made significant contributions to the radio industry over a 20-year period, 15 of which must be in the Country format.
Paul Schadt

Paul Schadt


“The recognition of these deserving and worthy Hall of Fame inductees represents four unique careers filled with accomplishments, contributions and excellence in advancing Country radio,” said CRS Hall of Fame Chairman RJ Curtis. “And each of our honorees for 2014 are still active and passionately involved with listeners, artists and the music that helps maintain Country radio’s dominance.”
Mike Brophey

Mike Brophey


Wilson is the founder of Citadel Communications. He eventually grew the company to include 205 stations in 42 states before selling it. He returned to radio in 2009, forming Alpha Broadcasting. In 2012, he founded L&L Broadcasting, a company that owns 30 stations across the U.S.
Brophey’s radio career began in 1973. In 1996 he started programming ‘KLB. The station recently achieved its first-ever #1 ranking in Boston, Mass. in August.
Jim Denny

Jim Denny


Since 1981, Schadt has been on the air in Charlotte, N.C. He started out doing mornings at CBS Radio Country, WSOC. After 16 years there, Schadt switched to Clear Channel WKKT for wakeups. He is the longest consecutive on-air personality in Charlotte, N.C. radio history.
Denny has been with the WFMS morning show since 1990. During his time there, The WFMS morning show won CMA Personality of the Year in 2007 and 2009 and ACM Personality of the Year in 2006.