Weekly Chart Report (12/20/13)

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Dierks Bentley recently visited with WNSH/New York at the station's first Nash Holiday Bash in promotion of his No. 5 Capitol Nashville single, “I Hold On.” Pictured (L-R): Abby Bryant, Bentley and Kim Bryant (Cumulus/New York MM)
Dierks Bentley recently visited with WNSH/New York at the station’s first Nash Holiday Bash in promotion of his No. 5 Capitol Nashville single, “I Hold On.” Pictured (L-R): Abby Bryant, Bentley and Kim Bryant (Cumulus/New York MM)

 SPIN ZONE
After spending 29 weeks on MusicRow’s chart, David Nail’s “Whatever She’s Got” hammers down on No. 1 with 3116 spins. Meanwhile, Cole Swindell’s “Chillin’ It” heats up, moving to No. 2. Zac Brown Band’s “Sweet Annie” falls to No. 3, while Lady Antebellum’s “Compass” navigates the band to No. 4. Dierks Bentley’s “I Hold On” jumps one spot, landing at No. 5. Rounding out the top ten this week is Luke Bryan’s “Drink A Beer” at No. 6, Scotty McCreery’s “See You Tonight” at No. 7, Danielle Bradbery’s “The Heart of Dixie” at No. 8, Cassadee Pope’s “Wasting All These Tears” at No. 9 and Craig Morgan’s “Wake Up Lovin’ You” at No. 10.
Blake Shelton’s “Doin’ What She Likes” is the week’s greatest gainer, debuting at No. 68 with 356 spins. Brad Paisley’s “The Mona Lisa” climbs ten spots, moving to No. 35 with another 323 spins. The Nashville Symphony recently honored Paisley with its Harmony Award. Jason Aldean’s “When She Says Baby” rises to No. 12 with an added 266 spins, while Bryan’s “Drink A Beer” reaches No. 6 with an extra 244 spins. Finally, Tyler Farr’s “Whiskey In My Water” ascends to No. 27 with 226 more spins. Earlier this week, the singer celebrated his previous hit “Redneck Crazy” in Nashville.
MusicRow welcomes debuts from four fantastic artists this week, with Shelton’s “Doin’ What She Likes” debuting at No. 68. Shelton is one of many scheduled to perform at next month’s Grammy Awards. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood’s “The Call” debuts at No. 73, while Sean Patrick McGraw’s “I’m That Guy” debuts at No. 79. Lastly, Charlie Worsham’s “Want Me To” debuts at No. 80.
Frozen Playlists: KFTX, WDZQ, WTCR, WEZJ, KVWF, WCJW, KWEY, KIAI, KKAJ, KTHK, KZPK, WDHR, WDKN, WXXK

Arista Nashville’s Carrie Underwood recently visited with WSIX Michael Bryan and his two daughters after a recent performance on the Grand Ole Opry at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.

Arista Nashville’s Carrie Underwood recently visited with WSIX’s Michael Bryan and his two daughters after a recent performance on the Grand Ole Opry at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.


Upcoming Singles
January 6
Bernie Nelson/Scarecrow/If I Know Blue Records
Blake Shelton/Doin’ What She Likes/Warner Bros.-WMN
January 13
Brantley Gilbert/Bottoms Up/Valory
Kayla Calabrese/This Is How It Feels/GTR
Keith Urban/Cop Car/Capitol
January 20
Lexi James/Stop/Spin Doctors
Rascal Flatts/Rewind/Big Machine
February 3
Blair Mathews/It’s About Us/Stoneyhill Records
February 10
Adrianna Freeman/No More/AFM Entertainment
New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Blake Shelton/Doin’ What She Likes/Warner Bros. – 68
Garth Brooks feat. Trisha Yearwood/The Call/Pearl Records – 73
Sean Patrick McGraw/I’m That Guy/Little Engine Records – 79
Charlie Worsham/Want Me To/Warner Bros. – 80
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Blake Shelton/Doin’ What She Likes/Warner Bros. – 23
Brad Paisley/The Mona Lisa/Arista Nashville – 17
Keith Urban/Cop Car/Capitol – 12
Garth Brooks feat. Trisha Yearwood/The Call /Pearl Records – 12
Chris Young/Who I Am With You/RCA Nashville – 10
Tyler Farr/Whiskey In My Water/Columbia Nashville – 8
Jerrod Niemann/Drink To That All Night/Arista Nashville – 6
Kip Moore/Young Love/MCA Nashville – 6
Thomas Rhett/Get Me Some Of That/Valory Music – 6
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Blake Shelton/Doin’ What She Likes/Warner Bros. – 356
Brad Paisley/The Mona Lisa/Arista Nashville- 232
Jason Aldean/When She Says Baby/Broken Bow – 266
Luke Bryan/Drink A Beer/Capitol Nashville – 244
Tyler Farr/Whiskey In My Water/Columbia Nashville- 226
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Sheryl Crow/Callin’ Me When I’m Lonely/Warner Bros. – 230
Ry Bradley/New Kind Of Lonely/Crimson Q Records – 224
Jared Daniels Band/Foot On The Dashboard/Shade Records – 220
Robby Armstrong/Birthday Happy/Strong Arm Records – 204
Matt Farris/Resident Redneck/Skytone Entertainment – 195
The Eli Young Band recently stopped by NASH-FM in Nashville to discuss their upcoming Republic Nashville album and celebrate the success of the gold-certified “Drunk Last Night.” Pictured (L-R): EYB’s James Young, Mike Eli, Blair Garner, EYB’s Chris Thompson and Jon Jones. Photo: Sarah Montgomery

The Eli Young Band recently stopped by NASH-FM in Nashville to discuss their upcoming Republic Nashville album and celebrate the success of the gold-certified “Drunk Last Night.” Pictured (L-R): EYB’s James Young, Mike Eli, Blair Garner, EYB’s Chris Thompson and Jon Jones. Photo: Sarah Montgomery

All-star Lineup of Guest Hosts To Visit 'NASH Nights Live' Leading Up to Official Launch

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nash logo11An all-star lineup of Country music’s biggest names will appear on NASH Nights Live with Shawn Parr in anticipation of the show’s official national launch on Jan. 6. Country music stars including Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker and Zac Brown will take over the airwaves from Jan. 1 through Jan. 5 before handing over the mic to NASH Nights Live co-hosts Parr and Elaina Smith.
Dierks Bentley begins the series of guest hosts on Jan. 1, with Darius Rucker hosting on Jan. 2 and Zac Brown on Jan. 3. Special guests during the three days of guest hosts include The Band Perry, Hunter Hayes, the Eli Young Band, Danielle Bradbery, Jewel and Thomas Rhett.
NASH Nights Live will broadcast live nightly from 7 p.m. to midnight – leading directly into the popular “Kickin’ It With Kix” overnight show.
Cumulus launched the NASH entertainment brand based on the Country music lifestyle in January of this year starting with the flagship NASH FM 94.7 in New York City. In addition to Country radio stations, the NASH brand will include a NASH magazine, concerts/events, online content and television programming.

Cumulus Hires Three Key NASH Execs

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nash logo11Cumulus has hired three key NASH executives in preparation for the national launches of America’s Morning Show and NASH Nights Live with Shawn Parr next month.
The new executives are:
Ian Zak, Executive Producer for America’s Morning Show. Zak most recently served as National Producer for Clear Channel’s Contemporary Hit Radio channel on Premium Choice, as well as Producer for 102.7 KIIS/Los Angeles popular JoJo on the Radio show. Before moving to KIIS FM, Zak held a series of producing roles at 104.3 MY FM in Los Angeles.
Elaina Smith, Co-host of NASH Nights Live with Shawn Parr. Smith was most recently with Cumulus station WA1A 107.1 FM in Florida, where she served as Co-host of the A1A Morning Show alongside DJ Timmy Vee. Prior to joining Cumulus, Elaina was an on-air personality on San Diego’s Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw show on 100.7 JACK FM.
Jason Addams, Program Coordinator (for all programming originating at the NASH studio in Nashville). Addams brings to Cumulus more than 15 years of programming experience, having served as Program Director at 101.5 WBNQ FM in Bloomington, Ill. and WSTO HOT 96 FM in Evansville, Ind. Addams also held on-air and programming positions at stations including 99.5 WZPL in Indianapolis, Ind., Hoosier Country 103.7 in Royal Center, Ind. and The Beat 104.3 in Austin, Texas.
Cumulus launched the NASH entertainment brand based on the Country music lifestyle in January of this year, starting with the flagship NASH FM 94.7 in New York City. In addition to country radio stations, the NASH brand will include a NASH magazine, concerts/events, online content and television programming.

Tennessee Radio Hall Of Fame Inductees Announced

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logo_ShieldThe Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame inductees for 2014 have been announced, and former Gerry House sidekick Mike Bohan, longtime WSM DJ and Opry announcer Hairl Hensley, and former WSM program manager/Tree Publishing founder Jack Stapp are among this year’s inductees. Rounding out the list are Nashville television and radio personalities Teddy Bart and Bob Bell, the city’s first anchorman Jud Collins, former Opry announcer and on-air personality T. Tommy Cutrer, broadcasting company owner Jim Dick, former WSIX and WKDF DJ Carl P. Mayfield, 1950’s television star Snooky Lanson, former WSM newsman Buddy Sadler, former Jordanaire/WLAC jock Hugh Jarrett, and radio advertising exec and on-air personality Doris Freeman.
The induction banquet and ceremony for the 2014 Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame will be held May 3, 2014 at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro, TN. Individual tickets are $65, or tables of 10 can be purchased for $595.00. For more information, go to Tennesseehalloffame.wildapricot.org.

Industry Ink (12/17/13)

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the voice

Pictured (L-R): Jacquie Lee, Will Champlin and Tessanne Chin


On NBC, The Voice earned a 3.3 for its performance finale, down two tenths from last week’s 3.5 rating for adults 18-49, earning a comparatively low rating for the performance finale. The episode featured finalists Tessanne Chin, Will Champlin and Jacquie Lee competing for one last time, and attracted 12.7 million viewers. Part one of last season’s finale, which aired Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, brought in a stronger audience, with 13.4 million viewers.

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BlackbirdThe Blackbird Academy, an intensive six-month professional audio program based out of Blackbird Studio in Nashville, has announced a partnership with Pensado’s Place, the Web-based series hosted by hitmaking mix engineer Dave Pensado. To launch the partnership, Pensado’s Place will be sponsoring one full-ride scholarship [$21,900 value] for the six-month Studio Engineering Program beginning Jan. 6, 2014.
“Herb and I always look for opportunity to educate people through our show,” says Pensado, referring to co-producer/co-host Herb Trawick. “This scholarship in conjunction with our partners at The Blackbird Academy is huge, and it represents education at the very highest level. We’re thrilled to be part of it.”
Applicants are required to submit a form and answer two essay questions relating to their passion for music and recording. In addition to the scholarship, five lucky winners will receive a “Fly Away” to Nashville to receive a private tour of The Blackbird Academy and the amazing nine-room Blackbird Studio, home to sessions by everyone from the Kings of Leon to Dave Stewart to Kid Rock, given personally by owner John McBride.
For more information, visit pensadosplace.tv/blackbird

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nextmedialogo111NextMedia Radio Group will switch two signals in the Greenville-New Bern and Jacksonville-Wilmington, N.C. markets to bring a new Hot Country format to eastern North Carolina on WQSL and WQZL, beginning on Dec. 16th at noon. These stations will operate on a full simulcast basis.
WQSL, at 92.3 on the FM dial, is licensed to Jacksonville, N.C. and the WQSL signal area serves the Coastal Carolina region from New Bern south to and including the Wilmington market. WQZL, at 101.1 on the FM dial, is licensed to Belhaven, N.C. and the WQZL signal area serves the northern half of the Greenville-New Bern market including the cities of Greenville, New Bern and Washington.
”NextMedia is excited to launch the WOLF in the Greenville-New Bern and Jacksonville-Wilmington N.C. markets,” commented General Manager Larry Weiss. “Our two signals, at 92.3 and 101.1, will carry the WOLF’s fresh, hot new distinctive Country format to the entire coastal Carolina region. Announcements will be made following the holidays on the staff hired to fill the Program Director and air staff positions.”

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nashville interntional airport11Southwest will begin offering another nonstop flight from Nashville International Airport (BNA) to New York LaGuardia, beginning May 11. This mark’s Southwest’s third daily nonstop flight to LaGuardia.
“We are pleased to have Southwest add an additional nonstop flight to New York LaGuardia, one of our most popular destinations,” Rob Wigington, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, said. “This is a big win for the Nashville community, since LaGuardia is a slot-restricted airport and the slots are difficult to secure. The Airport Authority is committed to growing Nashville’s air service by continuously attracting new destinations and nonstop services and delivering the Nashville Airports Experience to our passengers, business partners and employees.”

CRS Rusty Walker Scholarship Winners Revealed

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CRS2014-LogoCountry Radio Seminar has announced this year’s Rusty Walker Scholarship winners, who receive an all expense-paid trip and registration to CRS 2014, held Feb. 19-21 at the Nashville Convention Center.
The three winners are: Alana Lynn (MD, AM Music Show Host, KAWO/Boise, Idaho), Katelyn Maida (Social Media Producer, On-Line Host, Station Personality, KKBQ/Houston, Texas), and Nate Chester (Production Tech Assistant, On Air Personality, KTNN-AM/KWRK-FM/Lupton, Ariz.).
The Rusty Walker Scholarship program was created in 2012 by the Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. to honor Country Radio Hall of Fame member, Rusty Walker, who passed away in May 2012. Each scholarship includes a full CRS 2014 registration, airfare and accommodations for four nights (Feb. 18, 2014 – Feb. 21, 2014). Scholars will be recognized at the CRS 2014 opening ceremonies and will have the opportunity to choose a mentor, along with meeting CRS board members during the three-day seminar. All scholarship applications were reviewed for consideration by a CRS selection committee.
CRS 2014 will be held Feb. 19-21 at the Nashville Convention Center. For more information, visit countryradioseminar.com.

2014 NAB Crystal Radio Awards To Accept Submissions in January

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crystal radio award111NAB will accept entries for the 2014 NAB Crystal Radio Awards, honoring outstanding community service, beginning Jan. 1, 2014.
Established in 1987, the Crystal Radio Awards bring national recognition to radio stations for their year-round commitment to serving their communities. To enter, a station must submit their online entry describing their community service efforts for the 2013 calendar year.
Fifty Crystal Radio Awards finalists and 10 winners are chosen by judges with broadcast and community service backgrounds. Entry information is available on www.nab.org/crystals or by contacting Melek Demir at 202-775-3511.
Entry submissions must be received by Jan. 31. The Crystal Radio Awards finalists will be revealed in late February. Winners will be announced, and the finalists will be honored at the NAB Radio Luncheon. The Luncheon, sponsored by ASCAP, will be held Tuesday, April 8 during the 2014 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

'MusicRow' No. 1 Song

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Cassadee-PopeCassadee Pope’s Republic Nashville single, “Wasting All These Tears,” takes the cake this week at the top of our MusicRow Chart. The No. 1 title is Pope’s first release–and No. 1–since her victory on NBC’s The Voice. 
Written by Rollie Gaalswyk and Caitlyn Smith, “Wasting All These Tears” preceded Pope’s full-length studio album Frame By Frame, and was among records achieving the RIAA’s recently announced gold status this week.
Pope, who will perform as a “new face” at this year’s CRS, received a boost from CMT, which not only debuted its first docu-series but also included her as part of the network’s Next Women of Country movement to showcase a new generation of female artists.
As for videos, the Brian Lazzaro-directed piece can be seen below. Congrats BMLG, and welcome back from the beach!

YouTube video

Weekly Chart Report (12/13/13)

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Becca Walls (R) visited with Jon Pardi (L) at Nashville’s LP Field when he stopped by to donate toys for Toy Field. Pardi’s Capitol Nashville debut album, 'Write You A Song,' is planned for release January 14.

Becca Walls (R) visited with Jon Pardi (L) at Nashville’s LP Field when he stopped by to donate toys for Toy Field. Pardi’s Capitol Nashville debut album, ‘Write You A Song,’ is planned for release January 14.


SPIN ZONE
Cassadee Pope can dry her eyes now that “Wasting All These Tears” has hit No. 1 on MusicRow’s chart, with 3,138 spins this week. The Voice winner’s single recently earned an RIAA gold certification. Meanwhile, Zac Brown Band’s “Sweet Annie” jumps to No. 2, while David Nail’s “Whatever She’s Got” leaps to No. 3. Florida Georgia Line’s “Stay” prepares to leave the chart, moving to No. 4. For the third consecutive week, Cole Swindell’s “Chillin’ It” remains at No. 5. Rounding out the Top 10 this week is Dierks Bentley’s “I Hold On” at No. 6, Lady Antebellum’s “Compass” at No. 7, Scotty McCreery’s “See You Tonight” at No. 8, Luke Bryan’s “Drink A Beer” at No. 9 and Craig Morgan’s “Wake Up Lovin’ You” at No. 10.
Brad Paisley’s “The Mona Lisa” is the week’s greatest gainer, rising to No. 45 with another 391 spins. Earlier this week, the singer accepted the Video Visionary Award at the American Country Awards. Jason Aldean’s “When She Says Baby” moves to No. 17 with an added 213 spins, while Thomas Rhett’s “Get Me Some Of That” ascends to No. 49 with an extra 213 spins. Listeners are thirsty for Bryan’s “Drink A Beer,” which holds steady at No. 9 with 211 additional spins. Finally, Sara Evans’ “Slow Me Down” quickens its climb up the chart, reaching No. 15 with 193 more spins. Evans’ seventh studio album will be released in March of 2014.
MusicRow welcomes debuts from three Country artists this week, with Maggie Sajak’s “Wild Boy” debuting at No. 78, Jared Blake’s “Countryfied” at No. 79 and Angel Mary & The Tennessee Werewolves’ “Folsom Prison Blues” at No. 80.
Sheila Kirsch. Photo: Radio of Las Cruces

Sheila Kirsch. Photo: Radio of Las Cruces


News: MusicRow reporting station KGRT-FM Las Cruces, NM has promoted Sheila Kirsch to Program Director. In addition to her new duties, Kirsch will continue to act as Music Director and on-air midday personality. Kirsch has spent 15 years at KGRT, handling the station’s music duties since 2003.
KGRT’s Market Manager Veronica Test commented on Sheila’s promotion, saying “Sheila is a great asset to our team, and we look forward to continued growth on our country station as we move forward at Adams Radio Group.”
Frozen Playlists: KFTX, KYEZ, KYYK, WBKR, WMEV, WKKX
Kelly Clarkson visited with Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood prior to filming her NBC Christmas special: Kelly Clarkson’s Cautionary Christmas Music Tale. Pictured (L-R): Kelly Clarkson, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire. Photo: Justin Lubin/NBC

Kelly Clarkson visited with Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood prior to filming her NBC Christmas special: Kelly Clarkson’s Cautionary Christmas Music Tale. Pictured (L-R): Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson, Trisha Yearwood. Photo: Justin Lubin/NBC


Upcoming Singles
December 16
Lindsay Ell/Trippin’ On Us/Stoney Creek
January 6
Bernie Nelson/Scarecrow/If I Know Blue Records
January 13
Brantley Gilbert/Bottoms Up/Valory
February 3
Blair Mathews/It’s About Us/Stoneyhill Records
February 10
Adrianna Freeman/No More/AFM Entertainment
New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Maggie Sajak/Wild Boy/Back East Records-GMV Nashville – 78
Jared Blake/Countryfied/Skiddco Records – 79
Angel Mary & The Tennessee Werewolves/Folsom Prison Blues/Verado – 80
Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Brad Paisley/The Mona Lisa/Arista Nashville – 27
Thomas Rhett Get Me Some Of That Valory Music – 16
Tyler Farr/Whiskey In My Water /Columbia Nashville – 12
Garth Brooks feat. Trisha Yearwood/The Call/Pearl Records – 11
Charlie Worsham/Want Me To/Warner Bros. – 10
Leah Turner/Take The Keys/Columbia Nashville – 10
Sean Patrick McGraw/I’m That Guy/Little Engine Records – 8
Kip Moore/Young Love/MCA Nashville – 7
Dan+Shay/19 You+Me/Warner Bros. – 7
Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Brad Paisley/The Mona Lisa/Arista Nashville – 391
Jason Aldean/When She Says Baby/Broken Bow – 213
Thomas Rhett/Get Me Some Of That/Valory Music – 213
Luke Bryan/Drink A Beer/Capitol Nashville – 211
Sara Evans/Slow Me Down/RCA – 193
On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Ry Bradley/New Kind Of Lonely/Crimson Q Records – 212
Sheryl Crow/Callin’ Me When I’m Lonely/Warner Bros. – 203
Charlie Worsham/Want Me To/Warner Bros. – 197
Sean Patrick McGraw/I’m That Guy/Little Engine Records – 185
Robby Armstrong/Birthday Happy/Strong Arm Records – 184
RCA Nashville’s Sara Evans (L) stopped by the ACA red carpet this week promoting her No. 15 single this week “Slow Me Down.” Also on the carpet this week was Warner Nashville’s Sheryl Crow, whose “Callin' Me When I'm Lonely” lands on-deck this week at No. 82. Photos: Isaac Brekken.

RCA Nashville’s Sara Evans (L) stopped by the ACA red carpet this week promoting her No. 15 single this week “Slow Me Down.” Also on the carpet this week was Warner Nashville’s Sheryl Crow (R), whose “Callin’ Me When I’m Lonely” lands on-deck this week at No. 82. Photos: Isaac Brekken.

Charlie Cook On Air: Country Earns Grammy Love

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charlie cook new image111

Charlie Cook


In the past, NARAS has not always represented the Country genre either on the show or in nominations and winners but as the format has become increasingly popular and acts like Taylor Swift have so successfully crossed over, the nominations closely resemble what we see from the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music award shows.
This year the NARAS Country album nominations are very mainstream. In fact, three of the five NARAS nominations were CMA nominations last month. There is no arguing with the two exceptions. Jason Aldean’s Night Train is an incredible album as is Two Lanes of Freedom from Tim McGraw.
The politics of the CMA and NARAS are different enough to explain the trade outs. The Best Country Solo Performances also could have come right from the ACM or CMA shows.
The nomination specials that happen each December have also elevated the profile of the Nashville branch. Taylor has kept her connection to Nashville and Country music so she has been a great ambassador for the format. I also think people on the ground in Nashville have made a big difference. I am a big fan of Nancy Shapiro. We are only acquaintances but I have seen her as an advocate for the format right there in Nashville. She became involved with the Nashville chapter in the mid 80s.
In those days the Grammys went to big hits like The Judds’ “Grandpa” (1987 winner for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal) and Randy Travis’ “Always and Forever” (the 1988 Best Male Country Vocal Performance), but we also hit a stretch (2001) when the Best Male Performance was “O Death” by Ralph Stanley and the Best Country Song was “The Lucky One.” I like Alison Krauss but I just don’t remember that selection getting much exposure outside the nomination room at NARAS.
In 2003, the Best Country Male Vocal went to Johnny Cash and “Give My Love to Rose.” I will give you that 2003 was not a banner year for country music but the most recognizable name was often the one chosen by the NARAS voters.
Now names like Jason Aldean and Kacey Musgraves are recognized by more and more music fans and viola, more mainstream nominations. This is good for the format as these stars are getting the additional TV exposure helps spread the format even more.
To be fair this probably also affects some of the other “less than mainstream” formats. Like Rap. The really, really disrespectful Magna Carta led the way for Jay-Z to get nine nominations. The worst part of writing this note was I made myself listen to Magna Carta. Needless to add, I am not the album’s target but the fact that there is a target for the profane lyrics is scary enough. Jay-Z is the name everyone knows, so he must be the best.
Speaking of mainstream, the nominees for Song of the Year could not be more so. The five nominated songs were all huge radio hits. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis had an incredible year on the radio but “Same Love” was not their biggest song of 2013 but this is the one title that is going to get the most attention from the voters in LA and NY. These songs were so big nothing from the Country format was able to break into the category.
Still Kacey Musgraves is nominated as Best New Artist. Nothing I can dispute here as Kacey won the CMA award in the same category last month. I think Florida-Georgia Line had a pretty good year. I apologize if I missed a nomination, if they received one.
I know you might be saying it is good if NARAS steps out and exposes more music to the public. Not just the same old stuff. Well, frequency is really important when trying to brand Country as appealing to the fan base with the best music, not the most adventuresome.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)