Industry Ink: BMG Chrysalis Moves Into New Offices

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Ronnie Dunn performed at the 2011 Talk Media Conference & Talk Show Boot Camp in Dallas over the weekend. Pictured (L-R): Skip Bishop (Sony Music Nashville SVP Promotion), Lew Dickey (Cumulus CEO), Dunn, Dan Bennett (Cumulus Dallas VP Market Manager), and Mike McVay (Cumulus SVP of Programming).


• BMG Chrysalis moved into new digs last week. The publisher is now operating at 29 Music Sq. E., Nashville, TN 37203. Phone number remains (615) 329-3999.

• Rodeo Entertainment, the company started by New York based industry vets Jeff Rabhan and David Schulhof, is working in partnership with Clear Channel Radio to assemble a country boy band. The nationwide search visits Nashville on Nov. 18. There will be an open call, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the Nashville Ballroom (817 2nd Ave. S.). Details at countryboybandsearch.com.

The Academy of Country Music welcomed Quarterback Records’ Matt Gary to the office while he was in Los Angeles recently. He performed new single “Beautiful Life," along with cuts from his EP, "I’m Just Sayin’” and signed up for professional ACM membership. (L-R): Academy of Country Music CEO Bob Romeo & Matt Gary. Photo: Michel Bourquard

• Chris Carson has exited Debut Broadcasting to form Yellow Drum Media. He spent almost nine years at Debut as script writer, show producer and voice talent. Yellow Drum Media offers media services, including script writing, production, VO Talent, one-off radio specials, and ISDN radio tours. Yellow Drum Media is producing syndicated radio programs: “The Texas 10” and “The Red Dirt Countdown.” Carson also serves as the executive producer for Jim Brickman’s long running show, “Your Weekend,” distributed to AC/Hot AC formats by Cumulus Media. Contact him at [email protected], (615) 294-3781, or www.yellowdrummedia.com.

• Singer and songwriter Liz Anderson is resting in a local hospital following complications of heart and lung disease. She had several hits and has penned songs for Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, Del Reeves, her daughter Lynn Anderson, and many others. Anderson co-founded the Nashville Songwriters Association International along with husband Casey.

• Doug Fraser’s Nashville-based event marketing and brand development company The Art of the Game is producing and directing the Opening Ceremonies of the 2011 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, to be held Nov. 4-5 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Set to perform are Marlee Scott, Brittini Black, Andrea Young and Mark Boylan. The races will air on ESPN networks. The Art of the Game has also handled events for Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, CMA, NARAS, Delta, and more.

• XCEL Talent Agency dancers will be performing at the CMA Awards, and also appear in the new films Footloose, and Joyful Noise, as well as Sonia Leigh’s debut music video.

Lady A Sets Nashville Date

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Lady Antebellum has revealed the location of its 2012 hometown concert. The Feb. 22 show, which was previously announced, is set for Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium with guests Darius Rucker and Thompson Square.

A block of seats at the 2012 Own the Night World Tour stop will be reserved for attendees of Country Radio Seminar, which runs Feb. 22-24 in Nashville.

Lady A is also making a donation to CRS initiatives, including its scholarship program, seminar and the Country Radio Hall of Fame.

All CRS 2012 attendees will receive a ticket to the show in their on-site registration packets. Shuttle buses will transport attendees to and from the venue following the seminar’s Artist/Attendee Welcome Reception at the Nashville Convention Center on Wednesday evening.

Concert tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Nov. 4 through Ticketmaster.

CountryBreakout No. 1 Song

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Probably goes without saying, but country music isn’t just for rural Southerners. It’s populist art, and unless you’ve managed to completely escape heartbreak or never bothered to form basic human relationships, then you can relate to at least some of the songs.

And so we’ve hit upon the central thesis of Brantley Gilbert’s “Country Must Be Country Wide,” which is now No. 1 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart. A defiant mass of thudding drums and metallic guitars, “Country Wide” wears the rural badge with pride and menacingly dares you (while brandishing brass knuckles) to say something about it.  Turns out he’s exactly right: country music is indeed country wide, regardless of whatever our geographical differences might be. Need further confirmation? Look to decidedly not rural places like Minneapolis/St. Paul, Chicago, and Seattle, where country stations have long been thriving. They’re playing this song like crazy too.

“Country Wide” is the Gilbert’s first single since signing to Valory Music, who re-released the Athens, Georgia native’s 2010 album Halfway to Heaven (plus a Deluxe version) in September 2011. Also included on the Deluxe release are a re-imagined version of “Dirt Road Anthem,” which Jason Aldean recently turned into a huge hit. Valory also re-released Gilbert’s 2009 debut A Modern Day Prodigal Son on Tuesday, October 25.

Weekly Chart Report (10/27/11)

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Skyville Records’ Trent Tomlinson (R) visits WUSH/Norfolk’s Brandon O’Brien (L) to share his new single “A Man Without A Woman,” which lands at No. 41 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart this week.

 

 

 

RADIO NEWS
KYYK/Palestine, TX Music Director Amanda Hardy has departed her position with the station, which she joined in 2007. GM Lee Parkinson will handle music duties in the meantime. Hardy is seeking her next opportunity and can be reached here or at 903-330-5880.

SPIN ZONE
It’s always exciting to see up-and-coming stars land a No. 1 song. Like Brantley Gilbert, for example, whose Valory Music debut “Country Must Be Country Wide” is the young artist’s first No. 1 song. Gilbert is 100 spins ahead of No. 2—ranking “We Owned The Night” by Lady Antebellum, which will probably soon own the top spot considering it’s only 11 weeks old. Also battling for chart supremacy is Miranda Lambert’s “Baggage Claim,” which edges up to No. 3.

A parade of largely male singles are gobbling up programmers’ spins as we head toward the CMA Awards and the ensuing holiday season. Dierks Bentley’s “Home” refuses to sit still for long, moving on to No. 18 after five weeks. Close behind are Kenny Chesney’s “Reality” at No. 20 and Brad Paisley’s “Camouflage” at No. 21. Toby Keith’s “unofficial” single “Red Solo Cup” has gotten everyone in the party spirit, and it jumps to No. 30 after two weeks. Keith Urban’s “You Gonna Fly” is also two weeks old, and swoops in at No. 34. One spot behind at No. 35 is Billy Currington’s three-week-old “Like My Dog.” New male singles charting ahead of their official add dates include Trace Adkins’ “Million Dollar View” at No. 55 and Rodney Atkins’ “He’s Mine” at No. 69.

Frozen Playlists: KMKS, KWWR, KYYK, WTCR

Upcoming Singles
October 31
Trace Adkins/Million Dollar View/Show Dog-Universal
Katie Armiger/Scream/Cold River
Uncle Kracker/My Hometown/Top Dog/Atlantic/BPG

November 7
Rodney Atkins/He’s Mine/Curb

• • • • •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Trace Adkins/Million Dollar View/Show Dog-Universal — 55
Rodney Atkins/He’s Mine/Curb — 69
Landon Michael/Might As Well Be Me/Big Dog Records — 75
Corey Wagar/I Hate My Boyfriend/GTR — 76
Sean Patrick McGraw/What I’d Do/Little Engine Records — 79
Casey James/Let’s Don’t Call It A Night/BNA — 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Keith Urban/You Gonna Fly/Capitol — 534
Toby Keith/Red Solo Cup /Show Dog-Univeral — 489
Jake Owen/Alone With You/RCA — 333
Kenny Chesney/Reality/BNA — 327
Trace Adkins/Million Dollar View/Show Dog-Universal — 324

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Toby Keith/Red Solo Cup/Show Dog-Univeral — 42
Keith Urban/You Gonna Fly/Capitol — 30
Billy Currington/Like My Dog/Mercury — 25
Brad Paisley/Camouflage/Arista — 21
Kenny Chesney/Reality/BNA — 19
Neal McCoy/A—Ok/Blaster Records — 13
Trace Adkins/Million Dollar View/Show Dog-Universal — 13
Rodney Atkins/He’s Mine/Curb — 12
Jake Owen/Alone With You/RCA — 11

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Erica Nicole/Shave/Heaven Records — 151
Vince Gill/Threaten Me With Heaven/MCA — 142
David Bradley/If You Can’t Make Money/Gecko Music Productions — 136
Mark Wayne Glasmire/Going Home/Traceway — 132
Burns & Poe/I Need a Job/Blue Steel — 130

Trace Adkins made a recent tour stop and spent a little face time with KYGO’s John Thomas and KMLE’s Jeff Garrison. His new single “Million Dollar View” debut on this weeks chart at #55. (L-R) Lisa Owen (SDU), Adkins, John Thomas (KYGO PD), Jeff Garrison (KMLE PD)

Mercury’s Canaan Smith and BNA’s Casey James recently played at the WKLB/Boston New Artist Spotlight show. (L-R): WKLB’s Dawn Santolucito, Mercury’s Sally Green and Canaan Smith, Ginny Rogers (WKLB), Casey James (BNA), Lori Grande (WKLB), and Buffy Cooper (BNA).

Before headlining the 28th Annual Love Ride in Los Angeles, Average Joe’s duo Montgomery Gentry toured the motorcycle museum at Glendale Harley-Davidson with KKGO evening personality Ginny Harman. (L-R): Eddie Montgomery, Troy Gentry, Ginny Harman

The McClymonts recently visited with Captain Jack of Renegade Radio Nashville. The Aussie sister trio’s “Wrapped Up Good” is currently at No. 32 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart. (L-R): Sam McClymont, Mollie McClymont, Captain Jack, and Brooke McClymont

 

 

 

 

Charlie Cook On Air

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Halloween is right around the corner. It’s not my favorite holiday. I may be the only American who does not like Halloween. It’s cold out. Even in California, I would stand by the front door handing out candy to cute little kids, but it was always cold.

There is nothing cuter than a 3-4 year-old looking through a poorly-fitted mask, in a costume five sizes too big, with a huge bag pointed towards the sky, knowing that they get smiles and candy. But it’s always cold.

I also don’t love candy. You know, “Lead us not into temptation.”

I grew up in Detroit and it is really cold there. Which is one reason people in the Detroit area start fires on what is known as “Devil’s Night,” the night before Halloween. Because it is cold. They should move Halloween to July. It stays light longer, and it’s not cold.

Now that I have established I am not a fan of Halloween, let’s talk about some things that we should be afraid of as Halloween approaches. It is the scariest holiday, after all.

It’s when companies start doing their budgets for the upcoming year. They look back on the current year, which was not good for many people in our businesses, and they start looking for shortcuts. Radio had a tough revenue year, the record industry has had another challenging year.

More than cold weather at Halloween, I hate that managers lack the creativity of finding non-traditional revenue sources and deciding that they can save their way out of problems.

I do not spend money willy nilly. I worked for Westwood One for 10 years (post Norm Pattiz). I have been a partner in a privately held consulting company for close to 30 years. Every dime spent came out of our pockets. I have never worked for a company that spent frivolously. I am careful with costs, but trying to win with three less people than you failed to win with this year is generally a formula for failure.

If you have the wrong people, replace them, don’t eliminate the position. If you’re not accomplishing your goals with the people you have in those positions, is it the people, and not necessarily the position, that is the problem?

I have always believed that you find what works and you just repeat it over and over until it doesn’t work again, all the while evolving the process so that you’re prepared for the change when it is inevitable.

In radio the template has been to put the best product on the air, generate the biggest ratings you can and then send station representatives into the market to find sponsors that can benefit from using your station to reach consumers. This takes people.

In the record business you record the best music you can. Then you send representatives out to radio stations to convince them that this record will help them generate those ratings so that their representatives can go out into the market and, you get the idea. At the same time the record people are using the station to “advertise” the record to the audience. It is a win/win. Or should be. And it takes people.

A lot of stations are doing good radio today. In our format there are a ton of stations doing good radio. Boston, Detroit, LA, Minneapolis and others are seeing real ratings successes.

The music, in our format, and in CHR, is as good as it has ever been. Miranda Lambert is amazing. So are Chris Young and Justin Moore and Lady A and many more. In CHR, I love Katy Perry and Bruno Mars. The new Maroon 5 song is stuck in my head.

How tough is it to be good in a bad time? It’s like wearing the best Halloween costume to the Christmas Party.

Some people are afraid of change. They are afraid of innovation. The Country Music business is under attack. Radio is being attacked by Pandora and Spotify. The record industry is being attacked by dot edu accounts, and single track instead of full-album sales.

The problem with having radio and records partnering to fight these challenges is that we are at cross purposes on some of this stuff. Radio has run ads saying that stealing music is like stealing food from the Piggly Wiggly. Records continue to help radio with promotional tools in order to make sure that their music is presented in an exciting fashion.

But when it comes to Pandora and Spotify I am afraid that we part company. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that a pipe is a pipe is a pipe to an artist. Anything that gets the music out to the consumer is good.

I know some record executives who would love to diminish the influence of radio in the music/consumer equation. That is wrong-headed because it is the relationships, built over years and years, that can finally get over these problems.

I have a Pandora account. I really don’t listen much because I have to listen to radio for work. I hear 12 hours of radio a day. Not much time for Pandora. When I do listen I hear unfamiliar music but I am not sure if I hear a lot of new music. I know that I hear new music on the radio.

I have said in past columns that radio should do a better job of teaching the listener about new music and new artists and keeping the established artist’s profiles current. I mentioned months ago that providing tools for stations to use in order to introduce the artist information was imperative to continued success.

But most labels have cut the people who did this. How is that working out for building new acts? When it takes three CDs for an artist to break through, you don’t really make that up in volume.

Well sorry, I have gone long this week but I have to go to Target and buy some candy. Monday is Halloween.

Nix Named Promo VP

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Norbert Nix has been appointed to the post of Vice President, Columbia/BNA Promotion, it was announced today. Nix joined the label in 2006 and was most recently Director of National Promotion for RCA. He will report directly to Sony Music Nashville Sr. VP Promotion Skip Bishop.

In his new role, Nix will be responsible for developing and implementing promotional plans for artists on the Columbia and BNA imprints, which include Bradley Gaskin, Jordyn Shellhart, Joanna Smith, Wade Bowen, Kenny Chesney, Tyler Farr, Casey James, The Lunabelles, and Kellie Pickler.

“Norbert Brings a tsunami of new vitality to this team,” says Bishop. “With his vast experience and his recent contributions, Norb is a perfect fit to lead this excellent promotion machine. Along with Keith Gale, he has been instrumental in taking RCA Nashville to the highest level of success they have seen in years. Norbert has the kind of contagious energy from which Columbia/BNA will quickly benefit.”

Nix’s 20 year career in music includes time working in artist management and booking in addition to label promotion with Mercury Nashville. In 2001, he joined Refugee Management and later led his own management and publishing company N2 Entertainment.

CRS 2012 Expands Panel Offerings

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CRS 2012 to be held Feb. 22-24, 2012, has expanded its agenda by offering attendees more than 30 educational panels and roundtable discussions.

Previously announced appearances are keynote speaker Clear Channel Chairman Bob Pittman, futurist and entrepreneur David Houle, CMT’s Stephen Linn, and Twitter For Dummies co-author Laura Fitton.

Additional panels and panelists will include:
Jacobs Media Going Mobile Presentation: Get Smart!
The Jacobs Media presentation is a comprehensive presentation of how consumers use mobile media and its impact today and in the future. This audio/visual presentation employs examples of real consumers using and interacting with their mobile devices. Hosted by Fred Jacobs, Classic Rock format pioneer and founder of audience research and radio consultancy, Jacobs Media.

Branding: What It Really Is and How to Build One:
Forbes contributor and Chief Strategist at branding/consumer engagement agency Access Brand Strategies, Paul Jankowski helps define what a brand is and effective ways attendees can build theirs. His book, “How to Speak American: Building Brands in the New Heartland,” calls out ad agencies on the coasts for their dismissive attitude towards the “New Heartland,” the biggest cultural segment in the U.S. This panel explores the role that core values play in buying behavior and in listener engagement with Country radio.

Turbo Charging Your High Octane Air Talent:
Veteran talent coach and former morning radio pro Steve Reynolds of The Reynolds Group conducts a training session for managers and programmers who coach talent in PPM markets. Using tools like The Wheel of Content© and The Scorecard©, Reynolds educates managers on how to talk to their air talent to improve what they’re doing and help them perform better with the new measurement.

Brainstorming To Win:
Led by Executive VP/The Center for Sales Strategy’s Matt Sunshine, this panel outlines step by step brainstorming techniques using real world case studies. Attendees will learn how brainstorming can help them achieve marketing goals and execute successful promotions. Programs Sunshine has authored for the 28-year sales performance consulting company include the Interactive Insight webinar, the Digital Sales Accelerator and the Facilitator’s Certification Workshop.

Marketing That Gets Advertisers Results:
Another panel hosted by The Center for Sales Strategy’s Matt Sunshine, this panel focuses on the Marketing Strategy Model. Sunshine explains this five-step model and then examines case studies to give seminar attendees actionable knowledge they can utilize with specific clients.

$399 Early Bird registration is currently available for CRS 2012 through Nov. 15 at www.CountryRadioSeminar.com or by calling (615) 327-4487.

 

Terrestrial Radio Reacts To Growing Online Audience

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Arbitron has released new data showing that the online radio audience has doubled every five years since 2001 to 57 million in 2011. However, September figures show the traditional audience grew slightly this past year to 241.4 million. According to a recent article in the New York Post, “a number of private-equity players are making bets that radio is ripe for transformation, thanks to the growth of mobile and huge interest in digital music platforms.”

However, lest anyone unplug their terrestrial radio, Arbitron also says that 81% of listeners still use am/fm and only 11% listen to online only. “The total terrestrial market is $16 billion and streaming is around $500 million,” says Arbitron’s Paul Krasinski. “It’s a budding industry starting to grow.”

Despite the fact that a huge gap exists between the well established terrestrial industry and newer online entities, there is lots of activity on all sides. For example, Clear Channel’s iHeart Radio app recently relaunched. It offers access online to almost all of the company’s hundreds of stations, plus includes interactive features that resemble some of the other players in the online space such as Pandora.

“Consumers require more control, and the challenge is that traditional radio doesn’t provide it,” says Slacker CEO Jim Caddy. “Look at TV and time-shifting — all those things are now reinventing radio. You can ask it to play what you want.”

 

2012 Country Radio Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

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This morning, CRS announced the 2012 Country Radio Hall of Fame inductees Beverlee Brannigan, Ron Rogers, Rusty Walker, Moby, Eddie Stubbs, and Bill Whyte. Brannigan, Rogers and Walker are the 2012 Radio category inductees, while Moby, Stubbs and Whyte are the On-Air category inductees.

Brannigan, whose career began at Northwestern University’s college radio station, is a trailblazer for women in Country Radio programming. Since 2003, she has served as Operations Manager for six stations in Wichita and Program Director for three, including market leader KFDI, which won CMA Station of the Year in 2003.

Rogers also got his broadcasting start as a student, while at the University of Texas. Inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2004, he has held positions as Program Director at WACO, Sales Manager at KNOW, General Manager at KOKE and President/Co-Owner at KLAW, KVET and KASE.

Since the start of Walker’s radio career in 1970, he has either programmed, advised, created, consulted, overseen, served as a strategic partner or performed as an air personality for more than 750 Country radio stations. A few of his personality and Program Director stints include: WQYK, WQIK, WZZK and KFKF. He also has a seven-year consecutive run as Billboard’s Consultant of the Year.

Moby is a 40-year veteran air personality, whose career began at the age of fifteen in his hometown of Crossville, TN. Moby is the recipient of numerous national Air Personality awards, including winning Billboard’s Major Market Country Morning Show of the Year five times.

Stubbs has been the longest tenured evening host on Nashville’s 650AM WSM, since the station went to an all Country format in 1979. He is nationally recognized as the announcer of the Grand Ole Opry, a position he has held for more than sixteen years. Stubbs also won the CMA Large Market Broadcast Personality of the Year award in 2002.

Whyte began his career as a teenager on KCPR, “Kow Pasture Country Radio,” in Missouri. His career spans successes at WUBE, WMIL, WSM-FM and WFMS. He has won numerous broadcast awards including the CMA Award for Best Large Market Personality. He’s also won an AIR Award for best new Morning Show in Nashville.

The Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony unofficially kicks off Country Radio Seminar each year. The six inductees will be honored and inducted during a dinner ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. The event will be held at 6 p.m. in the Nashville Convention Center.

CountryBreakout No. 1 Song

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Love is a battlefield, and nobody emerges without collecting some scars along the way. Most of us try to maintain the necessary courage to stay in the fight, but few of us can recount love’s combat stories quite as tunefully as young Taylor Swift.

Case in point: Swift’s “Sparks Fly,” which is now the CountryBreakout Chart’s No. 1 song. Many of us inevitably fall for someone who probably is bad news, but trying to resist those intangible “sparks” is next to impossible. Amazingly, Swift was playing a version of this song around five years ago when she was 16 years old, but had never recorded it until her 2010 album Speak Now. The song’s video relives the vivid spectacle that is the Taylor Swift live experience, with tons of footage from her globe-conquering Speak Now Tour.

Somehow between sell-out world tours and recording multi-platinum albums, Swift still finds time to do things like introducing her signature fragrance Wonderstruck, which is in stores now. She’ll also have a special album, Speak Now World Tour: Live, a CD/DVD package of her tour performances available Nov. 21 just in time for the holidays. Before that, she’ll perform live Nov. 9 on the CMA Awards, where she’s nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist, Album (Speak Now), Music Video (“Mean”), and Song of the Year (“Mean”).