Pandora Eyes the “Holy Grail” of Radio

In an interview with the L.A. Times Music Blog “Pop & Hiss,” Pandora founder and CEO Tim Westergren talks about future plans for the trailblazing media company.

“Simply put, half of radio listening happens in the car,” Westergren says. “People spend 20 hours a week listening to music; 17 hours of that is from radio. About half of that radio listening, or 8.5 hours, occurs while they’re in a car. So that’s the holy grail.”

Westergren founded Pandora Media in 2000, born out of the Music Genome Project, an experiment that analyzed the attributes of all genres of music. In 2005, he launched Pandora’s Internet Radio, introducing listeners to different bands and songs deemed similar to their designated tastes. After overcoming a near collapse due to the retroactive increase in performance royalties in 2008—alleviated by the subsequent reduction in fees after the successful SaveNetRadio campaign—Pandora conquered the mobile world, garnering over 40 million listeners on mobile devices alone.

In addition to enabling Pandora for over 200 unique devices, including Blu-ray players and flat-screen TVs, Westergren told the L.A. Times that the company is “actively developing” products with car manufacturers. He mentioned Ford and Mercedes and after-market stereo companies such as Pioneer, stating that the goal is to “be in every new car that rolls off the  manufacturing line.”

What does this mean for terrestrial radio? Well, Westergren touts a better listener experience, pointing out that Pandora has 45 seconds of advertising—three 15-second commercials—every hour, while broadcast radio typically has 12-14 minutes of ads per hour. While Pandora is currently a free streaming service, users can opt into a subscription service at $3 per month, allowing them to bypass ads and benefit from a higher-quality stream. At this time, Westergren admits that “only a tiny number of people subscribe,” and that the majority of the 48 million Pandora users are exposed to advertising.

Westergren stresses the easily customizable aspect of his product, opening the door for local businesses to advertise. “When ad buyers think of the Internet, they think it has to be national. But that’s not necessarily true. Every ad we do can be narrowed by age, gender, ZIP Code and musical taste.”

While Pandora could be viewed as a threat to terrestrial and satellite radio advertising revenue, Westergren believes that Internet radio is actually helping artists and labels. “For years, broadcast radio collected billions of dollars every year in advertising. Almost none of it goes to the labels, and a small amount of it goes to composers. It was the biggest part of the music business, and all the money was quarantined from the rest of the industry. Every hour that goes from broadcast radio to Internet radio means more money for artists. That’s because Internet radio, unlike broadcast, pays performance royalties [to recording artists as well as songwriters. Over the air radio is not required to pay royalties to bands that recorded the music.] Last year, we made $50 million in revenue, and $30 million of that went to [recording] artists.”

Westergren says that users of Internet radio tend to purchase more music—43% of Pandora users purchase more music than they did before they signed up, while only 1% purchase less music. “We’re promotional, not substitutional.”

So, what does this mean for broadcast radio? Video didn’t succeed in killing the radio star, but it remains to be seen what Internet radio can do, once it’s available in our cars.

Weekly Chart Report (10/22/10)

Mercury's Easton Corbin (R) at the KSSN/Little Rock studios with morning man Bob Robbins (L).

SPIN ZONE
His latest album Charleston SC 1966 was released last week, and Darius Rucker’s “Come Back Song” is still the CountryBreakout Chart’s No. 1 song for a fifth consecutive week. Taylor Swift’s new album Speak Now streets next Tuesday (10/25), and its first single “Mine” is perched at No. 2. Sugarland’s “Stuck Like Glue” slips slightly to No. 3, followed by The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young” and Rascal Flatts’ “Why Wait.”

It’s still a very tight chart, with Justin Moore’s “How I Got To Be This Way” the only new song in the Top 10 and Tim McGraw’s “Felt Good On My Lips” the only new entry to the Top 20. But that should be changing soon, as a group of superstar singles is rapidly climbing through the 20s. Toby Keith’s “Bullets In The Gun” moves 26-22 after a gain of 271 spins, followed by Lady Antebellum’s “Hello World” at No. 25, and Blake Shelton’s “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking” at No. 26.

As older singles begin to drop out of sight, space should start to open up for the latest releases. Look for chart appearances soon from Ashley Gearing’s “What Do You Think About Us,” Gwyneth Paltrow’s “Country Strong,” The Dirt Drifters’ “Something Better,” and Josh Turner’s “I Wouldn’t Be A Man.”

Frozen Playlists: KYEZ, WBRF, WCMS, WHWK, WOGT, WPPL

Upcoming Singles
October 25
Todd O’Neill/Cry No Mississippi/Aria
Lee Brice/Beautiful Every Time/Curb
Matt Gary/I’m Just Sayin’/17/Quarterback
Josh Turner/I Wouldn’t Be A Man/MCA

November 1
Randy Rogers Band/Steal You Away/MCA

•  •  •  •  •

Josh Abbott recently visited KPLX/Dallas. The Josh Abbott Band is currently on their "Set The World On Fire" tour and promoting their new single "Oh Tonight." (L-R): KPLX’s Paul Koffy and Abbott.

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Kenny Chesney/Somewhere With You/BNA — 64
Lucy Angel/Only Woman Left/GForce — 77
Scott Lindsey/Get To Her In A Hurry/Gray Trailer — 78
Margaret Durante/Mississippi’s Cryin’/Emrose/Nine North — 79
Ken Domash/Ding Dang Darn It/Thunder Mountain/Spinville — 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Kenny Chesney/Somewhere With You/BNA — 402
Toby Keith/Bullets In The Gun/Show Dog – Universal — 271
Billy Currington/Let Me Down Easy/Mercury — 256
Tim McGraw/Felt Good On My Lips/Curb — 241
Little Big Town/Kiss Goodbye/Capitol — 241

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Chris Filer/John Deere, John 3:16/Lofton Creek — 180
Braden Gray/A Little Less Lonely/ATP Records — 156
Ashley Gearing/What Do You Think About Us/Curb — 149
Gwyneth Paltrow/Country Strong/RCA — 148
The Dirt Drifters/Something Better/WMN — 148

Two Week Most Added*
Artist/song/label — New adds
Kenny Chesney/Somewhere With You/BNA — 32
Little Big Town/Kiss Goodbye/Capitol — 18
Billy Currington/Let Me Down Easy/Mercury — 13
The Dirt Drifters/Something Better/WMN — 12
Braden Gray/A Little Less Lonely/ATP — 11
Jerrod Niemann/What Do You Want/Sea Gayle/Arista — 10
Josh Turner/I Wouldn’t Be A Man/MCA — 10

Gwen Sebastian and Margaret Durante On the Road

Gwen Sebastian has been “road tripping” introducing media gatekepers to her music. A week ago she sang at Nevada Wild Fest in Las Vegas joining artists such as Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers and Lonestar. Wayne Newton served as host. Sebastian also performed on KTNV-TV’s morning show, The Morning Blend. The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently said, “her EP shows a sweet voice and penchant for self-consciously clever turns of phrases.”

(L-R) Idaho Falls, Idaho KTHK's PD/MD Dale Desmond, Gwen Sebastian and Dale's wife, Melinda Desmond.

(L-R) WQYK's Jay Roberts enjoys a ride with Margaret Durante.

Emrose/Stroudvarious/Nine North recording artist Margaret Durante takes the wheel with WQYK’s Jay Roberts (to her left) as she continues her radio tour in support of her new single “Mississippi’s Crying”.

Garner Renews Contract, Kobalt Launches New Service, and BMI Board Announced

Blair Garner Renews Radio  Contract

Blair Garner has renewed his contract with Premiere Radio Networks. Garner, a two-time recipient of the ACM’s “On-Air Personality of the Year,” hosts After MidNite with Blair Garner, which is heard by 2.7 million weekly listeners. The show will continue to broadcast daily from midnight to 6 a.m. on over 260 stations. Garner has been in national syndication for 17 years.

“I’m very pleased to continue my relationship with Premiere,” Garner says. “It’s an exciting time for radio and the opportunities for engagement that Premiere continues to develop–from on-air and digital to off-air events–are tremendous and benefit our listeners, artists, affiliates, record labels and advertisers. I look forward to breaking new ground with the Premiere team!”

Kobalt Launches Balance Updates

Kobalt Music Group launched a revolutionary service which will allow its clients to individually monitor their global royalty account balances online. The service, called Kobalt Weekly Online Balance Updates, allows clients to view current balances for their next quarterly statement period. Additionally, they will be able to request an online advance, allowing almost immediate access to their accruing royalties.

“With our new Weekly Online Balance Updates and Kobalt’s direct global collection infrastructure, copyright owners for the first time in history can get their money up to 2.5 years faster than the traditional industry standard,” explains Willard Ahdritz, CEO and Founder of Kobalt Music Group. “This gives our clients a significant advantage in transparency and value.”

Formed in 2001, Kobalt Music Group administers more than 175,000 copyrights worldwide on behalf of over 900 content holders.

BMI Board of Directors Announced

BMI announced new and re-elected members to its Board of Directors at the company’s annual shareholder meeting, held in Nashville on October 19th. Jack Sander, former Vice-Chairman of Belo Corporation in Dallas, Texas, was re-elected as Chairman of the Board, and Cecil L. Walker, former Chairman & CEO, Gannett Broadcasting, Atlanta, GA, was re-elected Presiding Director. Both will serve one-year terms.

New Board members are Michael J. Fiorile, Vice Chairman and CEO of Dispatch Broadcast Group and President & COO of The Dispatch Printing Company, Columbus, OH; and Mark P. Mays, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Clear Channel Communications, Inc., San Antonio, TX. Re-elected Board members are Catherine L. Hughes, Founder & Chairperson, Radio One, Inc., Lanham, MD; and Jerome L. Kersting, President, Tribune Broadcasting Company, Chicago, IL.

Those continuing in their terms on the Board are: Del R. Bryant, President & CEO, BMI, New York, NY; Amador Bustos, President & CEO, Bustos Media Holdings, LLC, Granite Bay, CA; Susan Davenport Austin, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation and President, Sheridan Gospel Network, New York, NY; N. John Douglas, President/CEO, AIM Broadcasting, LLC, Palo Alto, CA; Craig A. Dubow, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Gannett Co., Inc., McLean, VA; Kenneth J. Elkins, President & CEO, Pulitzer Broadcasting and Senior Vice President, Broadcasting, Pulitzer Publishing Co. (retired); Philip A. Jones, Mission Hills, KS; Paul Karpowicz, President, Meredith Broadcasting Group, Rocky Hill, CT; Virginia Hubbard Morris, President, Hubbard Radio and Vice President, Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., St. Paul, MN; Mark Pedowitz, Founder and Chairman, Pine Street Entertainment, Burbank CA; G. Neil Smith, President, GNS Media, LLC, Liberty, SC.

Hirings At My Good Girl And Davis Music Group

Stephanie Greene

Record producer and publishing executive Mark Bright has appointed Stephanie Greene Director of Publishing for his company My Good Girl Music, a joint venture with Sony/ATV Music Nashville.

A publishing veteran, Greene makes the move from Combustion Music where she has worked since 2005, ending as Vice President. While with the company she participated in all aspects of the creative process including signing writers, pitching songs, shopping artists for record deals, and establishing co-writes. Previously she ran her own company as an independent publisher and spent four years as Creative Director for Chrysalis Music Group. Greene’s career began in 1990 when she pitched songs independently while attending Belmont University.

“I have enjoyed a longstanding friendship with Stephanie and I’m honored to welcome her to the My Good Girl Music/Sony ATV publishing family,” commented Bright. He added, “She is a remarkable publisher as well as a respected song person.”

My Good Girl Music and Sony/ATV Music formed its joint venture in 2006 and has published such No. 1 radio hits as “American Ride” recorded by Toby Keith, and “Do You Believe Me Now” recorded by Jimmy Wayne.

Greene can be reached at stephanie@mygoodgirlmusic.com or (615) 259-5440.

•••••••••

Glenn Noblit

Davis Music Group General Manager Gator Michaels announced today the addition of Glenn Noblit as National Director of Radio Marketing. Noblit will report directly to Michaels, effective immediately. Previously, Noblit worked at Warner Bros. Nashville, Vector Management and Lost Highway.

“Glenn’s extensive knowledge and expertise is key in the growth of our artists and their careers at Davis Music Group,” says Michaels. “His passion for the industry is unmatchable and his level of commitment is top-notch. I am honored to add him to the growing family at Davis Music Group.”

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to work alongside my longtime friend and respected colleague, Gator Michaels,” says Noblit. “I strongly believe the business model Davis Music Group is working from is the future of our ever-changing industry. I am eager to get started!”

Noblit will work from Davis Music Group’s Marshall, TX offices and can be reached at 903-934-8889 (o,) 214-282-6092 (c) or gnoblit@davismusicgroup.com.

Dierks Bentley in SIRIUS XM Concert Series

SIRIUS XM’s The Highway channel will broadcast exclusive performances by country star Dierks Bentley in a four-night concert series to take place in New York City. Dierks will perform in a different venue each evening, showcasing a different aspect of his award-winning career.

On Monday, October 18th, Dierks will play a country concert featuring his chart-topping hits at The Bowery Ballroom. The show will air at 9:00 pm ET. The following night, he’ll play with bluegrass legends the Del McCoury Band at the City Winery at 8:00 pm ET. On Wednesday, October 20th, Dierks will hold an intimate singer/songwriter night with Jessi Alexander, Jim Beavers and Jon Randall Stewart at 7:00 pm ET. The last night of the series concludes on Thursday, October 21st, when Dierks will be joined by acoustic virtuosos the Punch Brothers at the South Paw.

The Highway channel, which is SIRIUS channel 16 and XM channel 60, airs new music from the hottest country superstars, brand new artists and everything in between.

Weekly Chart Report (10/15/10)

Tony & Kris’ "Star A Day" promotion continued this week when Carrie Underwood stopped by to chat with the guys about marriage and her thoughts on reality shows like American Idol. (L-R): Tony, Carrie and Kris.

SPIN ZONE
It’s a tough chart week for record promoters, because there isn’t much moving at the moment. Darius Rucker’s “Come Back Song” holds strong at No. 1, but Sugarland’s “Stuck Like Glue” and Taylor Swift’s “Mine” are both beginning to encroach on it. Positions 1-6 remain unchanged from the previous chart, with Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Band, and Trace Adkins all getting a slight bump as George Strait drops back to No. 10. The lone new entry into the Top 20 comes from Sunny Sweeney, whose “From A Table Away” moves to No. 19.

Despite the generally slow movement, a handful of singles seem to be gliding through with relative ease. Tim McGraw’s “Felt Good On My Lips” and Toby Keith’s “Bullets In The Gun” are making quick work of the chart after only four weeks at No. 23 and No. 26, respectively. Just behind and threatening to overtake them is Lady Antebellum’s “Hello World,” which packs on the week’s biggest spin increase of 322 and moves to No. 29.

Sara Evans makes a welcome return to the CountryBreakout Chart with “A Little Bit Stronger,” earning the week’s highest debut at at No. 71. Also making first appearances are Little Big Town’s latest “Kiss Goodbye” at No. 72, Bellamy Brothers’ “Back In The Day” at No. 73, Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “The Way I Feel” at No. 79, and Jewel’s “Ten” at No. 80.

Frozen Playlists: KCJC, KVOM, KWEY, WAAG, WCMS, WKBQ, WQSI, WWYN

LIFENOTES
MusicRow offers its condolences to family and friends of Sony Nashville VP Promotion Skip Bishop, after the passing of his mother Grace Kappes Bishop on Monday (10/11). Funeral services were held yesterday (10/14) at the Wetumpka Depot Theater in Wetumpka, Alabama. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:

The Wetumpka Depot Players
300 South Main Street
Wetumpka, Alabama  36092

or

First Presbyterian Church of Wetumpka
100 West Bridge Street
Wetumpka, Alabama  36092

STATION UPDATE
Riverbend’s KTHK/Idaho Falls has moved its offices. The new address is 400 W. Sunnyside, Idaho Falls, ID 83402. The business phone number is still 208-785-1400.

Upcoming Singles
October 18
Little Big Town/Kiss Goodbye/Capitol
Mark Cooke/Can’t Cheat In A Small Town/Cotton Valley
Christian Kane/The House Rules/Bigger Picture
Christine VanHoy/What I Live For/Big 7

October 25
Todd O’Neill/Cry No Mississippi/Aria
Lee Brice/Beautiful Every Time/Curb
Matt Gary/I’m Just Sayin’/17/Quarterback
Josh Turner/I Wouldn’t Be A Man/MCA

•  •  •  •  •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Sara Evans/A Little Bit Stronger/RCA — 71
Little Big Town/Kiss Goodbye/Capitol — 72
Bellamy Brothers/Back In The Day/Bellamy Brothers Records — 73
Mary Chapin Carpenter/The Way I Feel/Rounder — 79
Jewel/Ten/Valory — 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Lady Antebellum/Hello World/Capitol — 322
Tim McGraw/Felt Good On My Lips/Curb — 297
Toby Keith/Bullets In The Gun/Show Dog – Universal — 251
Little Big Town/Kiss Goodbye/Capitol — 221
Billy Currington/Let Me Down Easy/Mercury — 190

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Scott Lindsey/Get to her in a Hurry/Gray Trailer — 197
Lucy Angel/Only Woman Left/GForce — 194
Ken Domash/Ding Dang Darn It/Thunder Mountain/Spinville — 179
Chris Filer/John Deere, John 3:16/Lofton Creek — 178
Margaret Durante/Mississippi’s Cryin’/Emrose/Nine North — 176

Two Week Most Added*
Artist/song/label — New adds
Little Big Town/Kiss Goodbye/Capitol — 20
Brett Eldredge/Raymond/Atlantic/WMN — 13
Billy Currington/Let Me Down Easy/Mercury — 12
Jerrod Niemann/What Do You Want/Sea Gayle/Arista — 11
Randy Houser/A Man Like Me/Show Dog – Universal — 9
Bellamy Brothers/Back In The Day/Bellamy Brothers Records — 9

Brett Eldredge, whose debut single “Raymond” is climbing the charts, recently stopped at WMAD/Madison. (L-R): APD Steph Peters, WMAD's Tammy Lee, Eldredge, WMAD's John Flint, Warner Atlantic Reprise NE Regional Lindsay Walleman, WMPD Mike Ferris, and Warner Atlantic Reprise VP Promotion Chris Palmer.

Southern country rockers Badhorse wrapped up a three-week, 27-station radio promotional tour across eight states this week with a stop at KRRV/Alexandria, LA. (L-R) back: Robert E. and KRRV PD Hollywood Harrison. Front: Charlie Gilbert, Mike Deems, Adam Grant, Joel Bridges and Chris Mathis.

AMA Bases Nominees On New Media Chart

Nominees for this year’s American Music Awards were selected, for the first time, using BigChampagne’s Ultimate Chart. In previous years, the AMA assembled its nominees based upon the Billboard 100. BigChampagne describes its new Ultimate Chart as “an unprecedented aggregation of timely, relevant metrics and a product of our friends’ and partners’ hard work and well-deserved success. We analyze and integrate information about music everywhere — from Amazon and iTunes and YouTube and VEVO and Pandora and Clear Channel and Myspace and Facebook and Yahoo and AOL and many, many others. Our machines are very clever but our analysts are too. Real people grade the computers’ work to ensure accuracy.”

The chart is arranged by artists and by songs. A details tab offers a graph timeline to show momentum over various categories such as broadcast, sales, watching & listening and Fans, Friends & Followers.

Even with the new methodology and info resources, the nominees shouldn’t arrive as a shock. For a complete list of AMA nominees click here.

CMA announces Broadcast Awards Winners

The Country Music Association (CMA) announced the 2010 winners for the Broadcast Awards, culled from CMA members who are full-time, on-air personalities and CMA member radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. All entries were judged by a panel of distinguished broadcast professionals representing all market sizes and regions as ranked by Arbitron.

“We are thrilled to be able to honor Country radio,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “While there are quite a few familiar faces among the broadcast personality winners, it is  exciting to see so many radio stations winning for the first time. It speaks to the great job these broadcasters are doing in their individual markets.”

The Broadcast Personality of the Year nominees are judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement and biographical information. The Station of the Year candidates are determined by airchecks, rating history, community involvement and format leadership.

CMA Vocal Group of the Year nominee Little Big Town and CMA Best New Artist nominee Chris Young notified winners on the air. The CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year and CMA Radio Station of the Year recipients will be recognized during “The 44th Annual CMA Awards,” airing on ABC live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. on Wednesday, November 10.

The 2010 CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year winners are as follows:
NationalLon Helton, “CMT’s Country Countdown USA” (Westwood One)
Major MarketLisa Dent and Ramblin’ Ray Stevens, “Lisa Dent and Ramblin’ Ray in the Morning,” WUSN, Chicago, Ill. (CBS Radio, Inc.)
Large MarketGerry House, Mike Bohan, Richard Falklen, Al Voecks and Duncan Stewart, “The House Foundation,” WSIX, Nashville, Tenn. (Clear Channel Communications)
Medium MarketAndy Ritchie, Alison Mencer, and Jimmy Holt, “Andy & Alison and the Morning Crew,” WIVK, Knoxville, Tenn. (Citadel Communications Corp.)
Small MarketBill Poindexter and Melissa Turner, “The Dex and Mo Show,” WUSY, Chattanooga, Tenn. (Clear Channel Communications)

The 2010 CMA Radio Station of the Year winners are as follows:
Major Market – KWJJ, Portland, Ore.
Large Market – KAJA, San Antonio, Texas
Medium Market – WIVK, Knoxville, Tenn.
Small Market – WGSQ, Cookeville, Tenn.

Roots Radio Hit By Lightning

Nashville’s weekly roots/Americana radio show, Music City Roots: Live From The Loveless Cafe, will mark its first anniversary with a new partnership. The progressive music, 2-hour radio broadcast will now be heard Wednesdays 7-9 on Lightning 100 (WRLT-FM)d beginning with the Oct. 20 show. Each show is also streamed live via www.livestream.com using a multi-camera HD platform.

“We’re very excited about our new association with Music City Roots,” said Lightning 100 General Manager Fred Buc. “Nashville is fortunate to be one of the few cities in the U.S. where you can always hear quality music and learn about new artists and styles. The addition of Music City Roots: Live from the Loveless Cafe is a natural fit in our menu of diverse specialty programming, and at the same time, will expand Lightning 100’s brand and musical mission.”

John Walker, co-creator and co-producer of Music City Roots says of the new Lightning 100 relationship: “We’re thrilled to partner with a local station with such a great history of independence and forward-thinking. We’re also truly excited as Music City Roots begins to expand its national and international vision.”

The show’s new airwave home will come with several changes. Emcee Eddie Stubbs will depart and veteran announcer Keith Bilbrey will fill his slot. Bilbrey will be joined each week by musical host Jim Lauderdale and journalist/interviewer Craig Havighurst.

The Nashville Scene recently named the Loveless Barn and the show as Nashville’s Best New Roots Music Venue, “akin to what the Opry must have been like 60 years ago.” AOL’s country music blog The Boot declared it a “must-see” experience.