Way Out West Records Nashville has aligned with independent promoter InstiGator Entertainment’s David Haley to head up national promotion for the label, which begins with the release of LiveWire’s new single “Lies.”

“Way Out West is thrilled to partner with David Haley and InstiGator to help move our artists to the next level,” says Mike Severson, VP/Artist Development, Promotion & Marketing for Way Out West. “We look forward to what’s ahead with our artists and the promotion team we are building around them.”

Haley’s efforts will compliment the secondary promotion efforts of Regina Raleigh and Ann Chrisman. Reach Haley here. Way Out West is also home to flagship artist and co-founder Shawna Russell.

Additionally, label Managing Partner Clif Doyal has been promoted to the role of President, responsible for overseeing daily operations and creative direction. Tim Russell will transition to VP Special Projects and Shawna Russell will continue her role as consultant.

I am writing this days before the CMA Awards, so if Eric Church cleaned up yesterday I am not just jumping on the bandwagon. Though after seeing the Eric Church show last Friday night at the Patriot Center in Washington, DC, I am ready to drive the bandwagon.

There are a few things about Eric’s show that really stood out. The most obvious is that it took place on a college campus not located in Alabama or West Virginia. The Patriot Center is the home arena of the George Mason University Patriots.

This is a university that offers a minor in Ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology. Not Football. Like most colleges though I noticed during the show that it, like WVU, majors in beer drinking. Right in Eric’s sweet spot.

The arena holds about 10,000 people and it was full. I estimate 95% of this crowd was under 25 years old.

The entire show seemed built for this crowd. Opener Kip Moore has always had a good college following even before he hit it big with country radio. He was well received and, while the arena was about 30% full when he took the stage, those folks were excited to see him perform. I was impressed to see him stay until the end of the entire program, after Eric, and sign autographs for everyone willing to line up. This was about 11:15 and by the length of the line I imagine Kip was there until midnight.

Justin Moore was the middle act. I have seen him a couple of times now and think he has come a long way as he has piled up radio hits. He seems to have more confidence on stage and the crowd was wild for his music.

The thing about both Kip and Justin—this is country music with a capital C.

I am not a concert reviewer. I judge the show by how much fun the crowd is having. These kids were having fun. In fact, I think that they passed fun about halfway through the show.

Back to Eric. I had a chance to speak with him for a minute before the show and you can tell he is enjoying his first headlining tour. It is tiring, without question, to go out there and do 90 minutes of a high intensity show every night but his energy on stage lifts the entire crowd.

The Blood, Sweat and Beers tour does about 15 west coast dates before coming back to the east coast at the end of the month. If the show is anywhere near you before it winds down in February run, don’t walk, to see it.

The thing about the show is how interactive it is with the fans, and how energetic the crowd is. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that everyone in the audience has downloaded “Chief” to their iPhone.

Yeah, they are supposed to know “Homeboy,” “Drink In My Hand” and “Springsteen” (which is a very cool part of the show), but they also knew every word to “I’m Getting Stoned” and “Jack Daniels.”

And when about 500 people take off a boot during the song “These Boots” and few even throw them on the stage, apparently not concerned about limping home, you know they have been Eric Church fans for a few years.

In motion pictures, actors are referred to as dangerous. When Jack Nicholson is on screen, you stay on Jack. He is the middle of everything. That’s how I felt about Eric during his hour and a half performance—he is dangerous. He so commands the stage, which is busy with fire and smoke, that he seems bigger than life.

What really excites me about Kip Moore, Justin Moore and Eric Church playing this show to an overwhelmingly college crowd is that they had to be introduced to these acts on country radio. Yeah today college radio plays all three of these guys but it had to start on country radio and that speaks to a healthy future for everyone.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow)

CRS Executive Director Bill Mayne has announced that the New Faces Show at Country Radio Seminar 2013 has sold out. This applies to registrations received after October 25, 2012.

“The New Faces Show is one of the most popular events at CRS,” says Mayne. “With the early surge in registrations for the upcoming event, the dinner sold out earlier than ever before. In an effort to provide our next round registrants a chance to attend the event, we are offering tickets in a special seating area in a newly reconfigured area.”

The new seating section has limited seating, to be allocated to registrants on a first-come, first-served basis. Special seating admission does not include meals.

The evening’s talent lineup will be announced in December. CRS 2013 will be held Feb. 27-March 1 at the Nashville Convention Center. The $399 Early Bird registration rate is available here through Oct. 31.

It is time for the Brad and Carrie show (also known as the CMA Awards show) next Thursday, Nov. 1 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and broadcast on ABC-TV. The announced performers and the nominated artists makes this a must see TV event for all, including the 12,000 or so fans lucky enough to have a seat in the arena.

As a quick aside, it is pretty incredible that both the ACM and CMA have been able to tap into hosts for their programs that turn out to be naturals at the job. Earlier this year Reba and Blake were fabulous and if you’re anything like me you too look forward all year to the show opening in Nashville with Brad and Carrie.

That naturalness and professionalism of these superstars, in what is a tough job out of their comfort zones, points to the incredible shape the format is in as we approach the Awards show this year.

Country music has the best stable of artists today. Yeah, some of the other formats have bigger, better selling stars but our bench is deeper and country acts are going to enjoy longer careers than the other contemporary format’s artists.

At the stations I work with we identify the top nine artists and assure that we’re playing a superstar every quarter hour. This gives the station a bigness that guarantees that the listeners are hearing the big stars every time they turn the station on. It is becoming harder and harder to get that list down to just nine acts.

When your brand is strong enough that you can be identified by just your first name, you have made it. Pop acts start with just one name. Rihanna, Beyonce, Pink, Adele, Ke$ha and Usher for example.

Country acts morph into one name. Brad, Carrie, Toby, Kenny and Taylor for example. Country acts earn their one name.

All kidding aside, the format is so strong today and yet there are new acts breaking into the top tier. Eric Church, Luke Bryan, and Easton Corbin, are all right on the edge of becoming superstars. Still there are new acts like Kip Moore, Dustin Lynch, and Jana Kramer finding room on radio stations.

On this topic I reached out to my “go to lady” in the record business: Lesly Tyson, Vice President of Promotion for Arista Nashville. Lesly has always helped me see the whole picture.

“We are in such an incredible place overall in the format,” Lesly told me last week. “There are new artists breaking through with big hits – 8 new acts actually made a huge impact with singles in the Top 5 in the last 9 months – that’s awesome. We have brought in younger listeners and they are responding to new, fresh music.”

That’s the beauty of the country music. The biggest selling act in our format is 22 years old. The two biggest ticket sellers are a couple of 45 year olds. (Kenny…I just went and added a year to your age. You’ll forgive me.)

The one area where the format is troubled is with female performers. A few weeks back I wrote here that only four female artists are in the top 30 played songs for 2012. Music Row and radio need to do a better job here.

Lesly agrees, “Our format is still very tough on females and we do not have to be. Look at CHR, Hot AC and the other current formats and how they embrace female artists – 10 to 15 female acts in the Top 30 at any given time. There is room at Country to open up a few spots to more female voices. Of those 8 new artists with singles that have broken though this year – only 1 was a female solo act. If given a shot, I truly believe more female artists would turn into core artists in Country, too.”

With the exception of this one issue I would not trade the excitement and potential that country music has today with any other format on the radio.

The show next week will win the TV ratings night, as it always does. Hopefully it will also be a springboard to bigger and better successes for not only the superstars like Brad, Taylor, Blake, Kenny and Jason (all nominated for Entertainer of the Year), but also for the New Artist of the Year Nominees Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Love and Theft and Thompson Square.

There is one thing we can all get behind. Good luck to all of the nominees.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow)