Weekly Chart Report (1/18/19)
Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
Country Radio Seminar To Spotlight Ken Burns’ ‘Country Music’ Documentary
The upcoming Country Radio Seminar (CRS) will highlight the highly-anticipated documentary Country Music, which will premiere on PBS this fall. Writer/producer Dayton Duncan, part of the team behind the eight-part, 16-hour project, will appear as part of CRS’s 2019 keynote event, to be held Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. during CRS at Omni Hotel in Nashville.
Ken Burns, who directed and co-produced the film with long-time collaborators Duncan and Julie Dunfey, will appear via a taped intro piece, followed by Duncan discussing the film. Attendees will also get an early look at clips with rare footage and interviews conducted over the six years it took to produce the film. CRS Board President, Kurt Johnson will conclude the panel with an overview of how radio can get involved with this landmark event.
Country Music chronicles the highs and lows of country music’s early days, from southern Appalachia’s songs of struggle, heartbreak, and faith to the rollicking Western swing of Texas, California’s honky-tonks and Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. The film follows the evolution of country music throughout the 20th century as it eventually emerges to become “America’s music.”
The film explores crucial questions, “What is country music?” and “Where did it come from?” while focusing on the biographies of the fascinating trailblazers who created and shaped it — from the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Bill Monroe and Bob Wills to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks and many more — as well as the times in which they lived. More than 100 interviews were conducted in conjunction with this project.
“Ken Burns’ documentary is a monumental celebration of the country music genre,” said CMA Chief Executive Officer, Sarah Trahern. “CMA is actively engaging our members to participate in this landmark series, and we’re delighted to share a sneak peek of the documentary with those attending CRS.”
Country Radio Seminar will be held Feb. 13 through Feb. 15 at Omni Nashville, in Music City.
Warner Music Nashville Announces Lineup For CRS Opening Day Luncheon
An advance lineup has been released for Country Radio Seminar’s 50th Anniversary opening day luncheon, hosted by Warner Music Nashville, and includes Devin Dawson, Morgan Evans, Chris Janson, Cody Johnson, Ashley McBryde, Cole Swindell along with the previously announced headliner, Blake Shelton. To be held Feb. 13, the Warner Music Nashville luncheon will take place in the Broadway Ballroom (CRS Performance Hall) at Omni Nashville beginning at noon.
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of CRS than by kicking it off with the inaugural Warner Wednesday lunch,” said Warner Music Nashville Chairman & CEO John Esposito. “We will be showcasing an impressive and diverse lineup of artists from our roster, headlined by superstar Blake Shelton. We’re ready to make some history!”
More Warner Music Nashville performances to be announced soon.
The $699 final registration rate for Country Radio Seminar’s 50th Anniversary Event (CRS 2019) is available at CountryRadioSeminar.com. Single-day passes are also being made available for $200 per pass and are limited to two day passes per person.
Weekly Chart Report (1/11/19)
Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
Industry Ink: Big Machine/John Varvatos Records, Big Loud Records, Rose Music Group
Big Machine/John Varvatos Records Names National Director, Promotion
Allison Smith
Big Machine/John Varvatos Records has named Allison Smith as National Director, Promotion. The label is spearheaded by Big Machine Label Group President, CEO and Founder Scott Borchetta and fashion mogul John Varvatos. Launched in 2017, Big Machine/John Varvatos Records was formed to help discover and develop new rock talent. In its inaugural year the label catapulted California-based band Badflower to the top of the rock charts with their smash single “Ghost.”
Based in Chicago, Smith previously spent 13 years at Virgin/Capitol Records as a Midwest Regional Director of Promotion. She also held stints at Lava Records and London-Sire.
Big Loud Records Adds Promotion Coordinator
Brittani Koster
Big Loud Records has added Brittani Koster as Promotion Coordinator. She will report to Big Loud Records VP, Promotion Stacy Blythe and can be reached at [email protected]. Koster moves into the role vacated by Maggie Abrams, who has exited for a soon-to-be-announced new opportunity.
Koster previously worked as Promotions and Label Coordinator for Rebel Engine Entertainment, and holds a degree from University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Rose Music Group Names Cyd Blanchard As Associate Booking Agent, Domestic Tours/Festivals
Cyd Blanchard
Nashville-based talent management, booking and promotion agency Rose Music Group has named Cyd Blanchard as Associate Booking Agent for Domestic Tours/Festivals. Blanchard is the longtime talent buyer for The 5 Spot’s Sunday Night Soul music series and owner of Ciann Photography.
Rose Music Group, founded in 2006, focuses on promoting Soul, Funk/Jazz, Blues and Americana artists, with a client roster including Reverend Sekou, Roy “Futureman” Wooten, Jason Eskridge, Johnny Neel and others.
2019 CRS Rusty Walker Scholarship Recipients Revealed
Megan Benoit, Shannon Lewis, Kristin Monica
The Country Radio Broadcasters have revealed the recipients of the 2019 Rusty Walker Scholarship, which is awarded annually to three full-time radio station employees who are attending their first Country Radio Seminar.
Kristin Monica (On-Air/APD/Digital Director/Program Coordinator, NASH-FM/WFYR/Peoria, IL), Megan Benoit (Promotions Coordinator, CKRY/Calgary, AB, Canada), and Shannon Lewis (Digital Managing Editor, KATP/Amarillo, TX) are the honorees for 2019. This marks the first year all three scholarship honorees have been female.
Each individual will receive an all-expense paid trip and attendance to CRS 2019, to be held Feb. 13-15, 2019. The three scholars will also be recognized during the CRS 2019 Opening Ceremonies. Country Radio Seminar will be held Wednesday, Feb. 13 through Friday, Feb. 15 at the Omni Nashville.
The Rusty Walker Scholarship program is named in honor of Country Radio Hall of Fame member Rusty Walker, who passed away in May 2012 at the age of 59. To honor Walker’s belief in cultivating rising stars, CRS created the scholarship program in his name, enabling young members of the business who may not otherwise have the chance to attend CRS.
Country Radio Seminar registration is currently available at the “Regular Rate” of $599 but will increase to $699 on Jan. 14. For more, visit countryradioseminar.com.
BMLG Records Adds Andi Brooks As Director, SW Promotion & Marketing
Andi Brooks
Andi Brooks will join BMLG Records as the new Director, Southwest Promotion & Marketing beginning Jan. 7. She will spearhead relationships in the region between country radio and the imprint’s artist roster. BMLGR is home to artists Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Brett Young, Riley Green and Danielle Bradbery.
Brooks was previously a WWQM/Madison, Wisconsin morning show co-host on Jackson & Andi in the Morning; she also held roles as an afternoon host and Promotions Assistant.
“Kickin’ the New Year off right!” Brooks said. “I look forward to this exciting change and can’t wait to join the team at Big Machine Label Group!”
“Andi’s background in radio, both on-air as well in promotions, will be an invaluable asset to our artists and team as well as our clients at radio,” adds SVP/Promotion Matthew Hargis. “We could not be more excited to welcome her into the Ape Den at BMLG Records.”
Brooks will be based in Nashville and can be reached at [email protected] or 615-324-7906.
Rewind: 2018 MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart No. 1s
Since 2002, the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart has crowned No. 1 songs in the secondary country radio marketplace. MusicRow congratulates each artist, songwriter and label for its accomplishments this year.
Jason Aldean earned the most No. 1 songs on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart in 2018, with “You Make It Easy,” “Drowns The Whiskey” (Ft. Miranda Lambert) and the final No. 1 song on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart for 2018, “Girl Like You.”
Meanwhile, Kip Moore‘s “Last Shot” was the year’s most-spun song on the MusicRow CountryBreakout chart for 2018, with 69,674 spins. Lady Antebellum‘s “Heart Break” came in at No. 2 (63,544), Chris Lane Ft. Tori Kelly at No. 3 with “Take Back Home Girl” (60,498 spins), Carly Pearce‘s “Hide The Wine” at No. 4 with 59,338 spins, and Dylan Scott‘s “Hooked” at No. 5 with 57,400 spins.
Thomas Rhett‘s “Marry Me” was the only single to spend two consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart in 2018, from Feb. 1-8.
The 17th Annual MusicRow CountryBreakout Awards, based on radio airplay reported by stations on MusicRow’s radio panel, will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 13 with an invitation-only ceremony.
2018 MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart No. 1’s
Jan 4: Chris Stapleton, “Broken Halos”
Jan. 11: Devin Dawson, “All On Me”
Jan. 18: Keith Urban, “Female”
Jan. 25: Old Dominion, “Written In The Sand”
Feb. 1 – 8: Thomas Rhett, “Marry Me”
Feb. 15: Scotty McCreery, “Five More Minutes”
Feb. 22: Luke Bryan, “Most People Are Good”
March 1: Darius Rucker, “For The First Time”
March 8: Jordan Davis, “Singles You Up”
March 15: David Lee Murphy & Kenny Chesney, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”
March 22: Florida Georgia Line & BeBe Rexha, “Meant To Be”
March 29: Jason Aldean, “You Make It Easy”
April 5: Dierks Bentley, “Woman, Amen”
April 12: Blake Shelton, “I Lived It”
April 19: Kane Brown, “Heaven”
April 26: Morgan Wallen, “Up Down”
May 3: Luke Combs, “One Number Away”
May 10: Jake Owen, “I Was Jack (You Were Diane)”
May 17: Jon Pardi, “She Ain’t In It”
May 24: Keith Urban Ft. Julia Michaels, “Coming Home”
May 31: Kenny Chesney, “Get Along”
June 7: Carrie Underwood, “Cry Pretty”
June 14: Dan + Shay, “Tequila”
June 21: Brett Young, “Mercy”
June 28: Chris Lane Ft. Tori Kelly, “Take Back Home Girl”
July 5: Thomas Rhett, “Life Changes”
July 12: Jason Aldean Ft. Miranda Lambert, “Drowns The Whiskey”
July 19: Florida Georgia Line, “Simple”
July 26: Luke Bryan, “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset”
Aug. 2: Brothers Osborne, “Shoot Me Straight”
Aug. 9: Old Dominion, “Hotel Key”
Aug. 16: Garth Brooks, “All Day Long”
Aug. 23: Sugarland Ft. Taylor Swift, “Babe”
Aug. 30: Carly Pearce, “Hide The Wine”
Sept. 6: Eric Church, “Desperate Man”
Sept. 13: Kelsea Ballerini, “I Hate Love Songs”
Sept. 20: Russell Dickerson, “Blue Tacoma”
Sept. 27: Kip Moore, “Last Shot”
Oct. 4: Luke Combs, “She Got The Best Of Me”
Oct. 11: Chris Young, “Hangin’ On”
Oct. 18: Dierks Bentley Ft. Brothers Osborne, “Burning Man”
Oct. 25: Kane Brown, “Lose It”
Nov. 1: Jimmie Allen, “Best Shot”
Nov. 8: Blake Shelton, “Turnin’ Me On”
Nov. 15: Midland, “Burn Out”
Nov. 21: Chris Stapleton, “Millionaire”
Nov. 29: Jordan Davis, “Take It From Me”
Dec. 6: Jake Owen, “Down To The Honkytonk”
Dec. 13: Jason Aldean, “Girl Like You”
Weekly Chart Report (12/14/18)
Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
CRS To Host Panel Exploring Relationships Between Parents, Teens And Country Music
The 2019 Country Radio Seminar will host a “Parents, Teens, and Country Music” panel, which will discuss fostering and preserving country music and radio’s multi-generational appeal. The panel will be held during CRS on Feb. 14 at 3:30 p.m. CT at the Omni Hotel Nashville.
The “Parents, Teens, and Country Music” panel, presented by Edison Research, will combine a survey of country listeners who have teenagers at home, a survey of teens, and footage from the in-person interviews that have become a highlight of Edison’s CRS presentations. Both groups will be asked about their musical tastes, media usage, and how that usage takes hold with an eye on how parents and teens influence each other.
“This presentation will allow CRS attendees to understand better the lives of people currently in their demographic target while allowing a peek into those of the crucial next generation of country fans,” says Edison Research president Larry Rosin. “There will be practical advice both for connecting with the parents, and cultivating the younger group for the future.”