Keith Urban becomes first artist on Spotify Hot Country to enhance the playlist with video, supporting his Graffiti U album, out April 27.
Spotify’s flagship country playlist, Hot Country, is now enhanced with video. The newly enhanced playlist follows the recent video integrations of fellow Spotify playlists such as Rap Caviar and Viva Latino, which combine music and video into a single view, allowing Spotify users to listen to their favorite audio tracks, as well as watch original interviews and music videos featuring their favorite artists on the on-demand streaming service.
The Hot Country enhanced playlist launches today (Friday, April 27) with content from Keith Urban, who releases his latest album, Graffiti U, today, as well as content from Kacey Musgraves and a special performance from Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton.
On Hot Country, Urban will offer viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his extensive guitar collection, as he discusses his love of playing in his new home studio, and looks at the inspiration behind his new album.
Urban said, “Spotify has been an amazing partner, helping me to connect my music with people all over the planet. On their new Hot Country playlist people will not only hear Graffiti U, they’ll be able to come inside the studio with me and see a bit about the making of the album. Can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”
According to Brittany Schaffer, Head of Artist and Label Marketing at Spotify’s Nashville office, the country music audience has been slower to adopt streaming than audiences of other genres. However, she says “country artists have been craving the attention of the streaming services to help bring the country audience into streaming and craving a deeper ability to connect with and expand their audiences,” she says. “The enhancement of the Hot Country playlist is Spotify’s first significant step in helping artists do just that.”
Schaffer also notes that the enhanced playlist is only the beginning of Spotify’s collaboration with the country industry. “Spotify is serious about making an impact in country music, and the launch of the Hot Country enhanced playlist is only the first step in showing that commitment,” she says. “This opportunity is opening new doors for current and potential listeners of country music, in Nashville and around the world. Our commitment doesn’t start and end with the launch of Hot Country.”
To bring more Hot Country to its more than 4.5 million followers worldwide, the enhanced playlist feature will also launch in four additional markets outside the U.S.: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Spain (in addition to the UK, Sweden, and Latin America).
According to John Marks, Programming Head of Country Music at Spotify, the audience for country music will only keep growing. “There are multiple awakenings happening right now. Streaming is opening a global market. There’s been a hybridizing of other international music into the country playlists, which is opening people’s eyes and minds to country music in other countries. Launching in those markets—which have very active fan bases—will start to speed up the process.”
Marks, who has a long history working in Nashville with country industry and artists, is enthusiastic about the partnership—and he’s not the only one, he says. “The Nashville music industry and Nashville artists have really embraced this idea out of the shoot. We have some big stars on board with Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney, and there are plenty others on queue. It’s really been gratifying to see how quickly and how nimbly everyone in the industry has supported this idea of enhanced playlists and to see it all come together.”
Executives from Sony Music Nashville, Universal Music Group Nashville, and Warner Music Nashville also weighed in on the newly enhanced playlist.
“Late last year when Spotify rolled out their Open House they talked about Nashville as such an important market and musical identity that they were focused on growing, and I really wanted to believe it was true,” said UMG Nashville’s Cindy Mabe. “Coming into 2018, I watched the thorough roll out of the Cover Stories, a weekly video series with the Hot Country enhanced playlist and I am absolutely blown away. The most important job I do is to tell our artists’ stories and vision for what they have to say through their music so the fans can connect. Spotify has truly put their money where their mouth is with their investment in Nashville while leaning into our artists’ stories in order to grow the audience. I know there is a lot more yet to be rolled out but I am so excited to watch as Spotify brings our music to our fans in new and exciting ways.”
“Not only is Spotify’s relaunch of Hot Country another clear sign of their deepening commitment to country music, it’s also an indicator that fans of our genre are consuming music in more new ways than ever before, through video and on their phones,” said Warner Music Nashville’s John Esposito. “The addition of video content to the playlist will surely bring a deeper connection between the fans and the artists they love. Music and video are certainly going to “Get Along” together on Hot Country!”
“We’re so excited that Spotify is furthering their investment in country music by offering another level of media to their Hot Country playlist!” said Sony Music Nashville’s Randy Goodman. “More new ways we can showcase our artists and grow country music streaming in general is a great and welcome thing!”
DISClaimer: Abby Anderson, Devin Dawson, Travis Denning, Muscadine Bloodline Top New Releases
/by Robert K OermannVeterans Montgomery Gentry and Sugarland take a back seat to an outstanding parade of up-and-comers in this edition of DisClaimer. Jordan Davis, Ashley Monroe, Tyler Farr and Maddie & Tae all have listenable new tunes.
The Disc of the Day award goes to another rising young artist, Devin Dawson.
There’s so much fine new talent here that I am splitting the DisCovery Award into three salutes. The Duo/Group winner is Muscadine Bloodline. The Female winner is Abby Anderson. The Male honoree is Travis Denning. Live long and prosper, all of you.
TRAVIS DENNING/David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Mercury (CDX)
– Pretty dang cool. He sings like a country pro, and the song has hooks in all the right places. Big bonus points for compositional creativity, since it’s undoubtedly the first song ever written exclusively about a fake I.D.
TYLER FARR/Love By The Moon
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Columbia
– Punchy. His tightly-wound, slightly strangulated vocal style is ear catching. And you can’t beat a lyric hook like, “Live by the sun/Love by the moon,” even if the rest of the lyric is standard-issue bro-country.
ABBY ANDERSON/Make Him Wait
Writers: Anderson/Josh Kerr/Tom Douglas; Producer: Josh Kerr; Publishers: Tunes of Black River/Purple Keystone/Songs of Black River/Whistlepig Winners/Sony-ATV Tree/Tomdouglasmusic, BMI/ASCAP; Black River
– Luminous. Melting with warmth. Its message to young girls about holding onto your innocence is worthy. To have your ears really pinned back, experience this artist live. She is a Fourth-of-July sparkler of a personality.
SUGARLAND & TAYLOR SWIFT/Babe
Writers: Swift/Patrick Monahan; Producers: Kristian Bush/Jennifer Nettles/Brandon Bush/Julian Raymond/Zoe Rosen/Brianna Steinitz; Publishers: none listed; Big Machine
– It’s a sugary pop confection that tastes delicious. A production recipe with more nutritious ingredients might have served its lyric of disappointment and rejection better.
MUSCADLINE BLOODLINE/Movin’ On
Writers: Gary Stanton/Charlie Muncaster/Cary Barlowe; Producer: Luke Laird; Publishers: none listed; Creative Nation
– Excitement from the get-go. The pulse-quickening rhythm, the churning guitars and the twin male harmonies grab you by the collar. Then the excellently crafted lyric about getting over a heartbreak delights your brain. Lend this Alabama duo your ears. Right now.
MONTGOMERY GENTRY/Get Down South
Writers: John Wiggins/Bob Moffat/Clint Moffat/Troy Johnson; Producers: Shannon Houchins/Noah Gordon; Publisher: none listed; Average Joes
– Rowdy, Dixie-fried party music.
JORDAN DAVIS/Take It From Me
Writers: Jordan Davis/Jacob Davis/Jason Gantt; Producers: Paul DiGiovanni; Publishers: ole Red Cape/Jordan Davis/ReHits/Me GustaSony-ATV Tree, Songs of Red Bandana, ASCAP/BMI; MCA Nashville
– Tuneful and cheerful. The processed vocal is a little off-putting, but the overall upbeat attitude is infectious.
ASHLEY MONROE/Wild Love
Writers: Ashley Monroe/Waylon Payne/Brendan Benson; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publishers: Monroe Suede/Songs of Kobalt/Tiltawhirl/Carnival/BMG Gold/Gladsad/BMG Rights Mngmnt, BMI/ASCAP; Warner Bros.
– Misty and mysterious. Her dreamy vocal performance floats in a minor-key arrangement featuring sighing organ notes, strummy guitars, echoey background voices and complimentary string phrases. Beautifully haunting.
DEVIN DAWSON/Asking For A Friend
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Atlantic
– The conversational lyric is just terrific. His super-warm vocal performance is sprinkled with stardust. The wafting production is pristine and perfect. This romantic come-on should absolutely dissolve female listeners.
MADDIE & TAE/Friends Don’t
Writers: Maddie Marlow/Taylor Dye/Jon Nite/Justin Ebach; Producers: Jimmy Robbins/Derek Wells; Publisher: none listed; Mercury
– The song is there and, as always, their voices are beyond dandy. The production seems a little dense and busy on first listen, but I think I could definitely get used to this.
Nashville Quintet Birdtalker To Release Debut Album In June
/by Jessica NicholsonNashville-based quintet Birdtalker will release its debut album, One, on June 22. The group’s song “Heavy” recently earned more than 21 million streams on Spotify, with no label support.
Fronted by couple Zack and Dani Green, Birdtalker blends elements of Americana, folk and pop, taking their name from an anecdote about St. Francis of Assisi’s ability to converse with sparrows.
“The way I experience life is that if you experience a sad thing, it’s almost by letting yourself dive straight down into it and feel the stuff that those things don’t have a hold on you anymore,” described Dani of the new single. “If you ever want to move past the sadness, you have to let it be there for a little while. And then once you allow it to move through you, your heart is still broken, but there’s this beauty in knowing that new growth will happen soon.”
Birdtalker’s path to formation was, much like the success of “Heavy,” hardly planned out.
“Neither of us were in bands before we started this one,” said Dani. The Greens figured out they had some harmonic alchemy early in their relationship, but neither had performed music in public before, even solo, much less imagined starting a band. Zack admits he hadn’t even been much of a music lover growing up, but suddenly found himself exposed to a whole new world of music in his 20s. He began drifting towards emotionally intent acts while writing songs with his similarly newly muse-stricken spouse.
Eventually, drummer Andrew Hubright, guitarist Brian Seligman, and bassist Jesse Baker drifted in, adding new elements until the band found a fully-fledged sound, which led to the breakthrough song “Heavy.”
Track List:
01) Ankle Bone
02) Nothing’s Right
03) Looking For Love
04) Outside The Lines
05) Autodomesticated Animal
06) Free Like A Broken Heart
07) Be Where You Are
08) Heavy
09) Medea
10) Take It Slow
11) One
Nashville Best Cellars Dinner Raises $215,000 For T.J. Martell Foundation
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Chantel Esposito, John Esposito (Chairman & CEO, WMN), John Sanzo (President, Secure Air Charter), Nataliia Sanzo, Eliza Kraft Olander, Melissa Beckham, Rob Beckham (Co-Head, WME Nashville) Photo credit: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
The 19th Annual Nashville Best Cellars dinner on Monday night (April 23) featured celebrity attendees including Frankie Ballard, Big Kenny (Big & Rich), Kix Brooks, Martina McBride, Michael Ray, Dan Smyers (Dan + Shay), Old Dominion, RaeLynn, Reba McEntire, and more, and the event’s gourmet food, exquisite wines and resulted in over $215,000 raised for the T.J. Martell Foundation.
At the helm of the event were co-chairs and industry staples Rob Beckham (Co-Head, WME Nashville), John Esposito (Chairman & CEO, Warner Music Nashville) and Eliza Kraft Olander.
The dinner featured cuisine prepared by award-winning chefs Joseph Lenn (J.C. Holdway – Knoxville, TN), Steven Satterfield (Miller Union – Atlanta, GA), Matt Bolus (404 Kitchen – Nashville, TN) and Lisa Donovan (Nashville-based pastry chef). Satterfield introduced the first course with his vegetable-paired smoked cobia, leading into Lenn’s pork collar with potatoes, ramps, fiddlehead ferns and ham hock. Bolus followed up with lamb sugo and ricotta cavatelli, and Donovan wrapped the evening with black pepper and pecan pavolova, Louisiana strawberries and sweet cream.
Pairing “Best Sellers” (popular chart-topping and award winning artists) with “Best Cellars” (some of the top wine collectors in the United States), the event has helped raise money to support the foundation’s mission of funding ground-breaking cancer research since 1999.
SiriusXM To Broadcast From Stagecoach Festival
/by Lorie HollabaughSiriusXM announced today that for the first time it will broadcast live performances and backstage interviews from the Stagecoach Country Festival in Indio, California. The exclusive radio broadcast will air on The Highway, Channel 56, and will include backstage interviews and live performances from Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen, Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, Brett Young, Lee Brice, and more.
SiriusXM will debut the SiriusXM Spotlight Stage, a special stage highlighting up-and-coming artists including Highway Find artists Carly Pearce, Ashley McBryde, and numerous others. A special edition of SiriusXM’s ‘Music Row Happy Hour’ hosted by Buzz Brainard, is also airing live from Stagecoach today.
“SiriusXM is proud to bring California’s country music festival to all of North America,” said Steve Blatter, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Music Programming for SiriusXM. “We know our listeners will appreciate hearing both the established artists on the main stages and all the emerging artists on the SiriusXM Spotlight Stage. We’re also thrilled to originate our Music Row Happy Hour live from the festival.”
SiriusXM’s Stagecoach Country Music Festival broadcast begins today through Sunday, April 29 and features continuous coverage of the three-day outdoor country music festival with live performances, artist interviews and commentary from backstage. Select performance highlights and interviews, including Dwight Yoakam, will also air later on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country, channel 60.
Charley Pride Celebrates 25th Opry Anniversary With Slate Of Shows
/by Lorie HollabaughPhoto by Chris Hollo
Charley Pride will celebrate his 25th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member with appearances on the Opry on May 4 and 5. Pride, who made his Opry debut performance in 1967, is scheduled to perform extended Opry sets in celebration of his milestone anniversary on both nights.
As part of the celebration, Opry flagship station 650 AM WSM plans to salute the award-winning artist with a “Country Pride Weekend”, spinning Pride’s 50-plus Top 10 singles, playing signature Pride archived programs, and taking listener requests for the Country Music Hall of Famer’s all-time favorites.
Upon his Opry induction 25 years ago, Pride recalled his initial dream of baseball stardom. “It’s as if I had made it in baseball and they came up to me and took me to Cooperstown and said, ‘This is where your plaque is going to be – beside Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, and Hank Aaron.”
Pride’s fellow Opry member Carrie Underwood is set to mark 10 years with the Opry on two shows the following weekend, Fri., May 11. Among other artists scheduled for the Opry and Opry Country Classics in May are Trace Adkins, Bobby Bare, Terri Clark, Luke Combs, Easton Corbin, Jordan Davis, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Crystal Gayle, Craig Morgan, Lorrie Morgan, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Marty Stuart, and Tanya Tucker.
Amazon Music Aims Country Heat Playlist Toward Global Listeners
/by Jessica NicholsonAmazon Music has launched a country music playlist aimed at markets outside the United States. Amazon’s Country Heat playlist is available now, for the first time, in more than 35 countries around the world.
The curated playlist features a mix of new and established country artists. To celebrate the launch of the playlist, Brett Young recorded his own version of the Leonard Cohen classic “Hallelujah,” which he has frequently played as an encore to close his live shows. The newly-recorded track is streaming exclusively as an Amazon Original for fans of the Country Heat playlist.
“Country Heat represents the biggest and best in country music right now, and launching this playlist around the world is a great way to super-serve the country fans on Amazon Music and provide them with a weekly destination for the best in country music, while providing a massive look for some artists that might not yet have a presence outside of the US,” said Emily Cohen, country music curator for Amazon Music. “Amazon Music offers thousands of playlists in every territory, and it’s amazing to add Country Heat to our programming roster globally.”
Country Heat is now available to stream via the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android, or at amazon.com/countryheat. Listeners can also access Country Heat on Alexa-enabled devices where available by simply asking, “Alexa, play Country Heat.”
The timing of the new playlist launch is apt, given that country music labels, managers, promoters and agents are pushing for more international opportunities for their artists in areas such as the U.K. and Australia. Last year marked the first Country Music Week in the U.K., following the success of the Country To Country (C2C) festival, which AEG launched in 2013. CMW will return for a second year in October, with headlining concerts from Kacey Musgraves, Darius Rucker, and Drake White. The C2C festival will return next year, running from March 8-10, 2019. Meanwhile, numerous artists have used the newfound visibility gained from the festival and CMW to book a run of shows.
Camila Cabello, Kane Brown Team For New Collaboration
/by Lorie HollabaughKane Brown has teamed up with Camila Cabello on a new version of Cabello’s smash hit “Never Be The Same.” The new track is out today and is already setting social media ablaze and can be heard here.
The collaboration is a genre-crossing version of Cabello’s No. 2 hit, which is the second single from her platinum debut album, CAMILA. Cabello will be opening for Taylor Swift this summer on the star’s eagerly awaited Reputation tour.
Brown continues to dominate country charts with the rise of his Top 5 hit, “Heaven,” which has been a seven-week No. 1 on Nielsen’s On Demand Audio Core Country Streaming chart, tallied more than 81 million YouTube/VEVO video views, and was his third track to achieve Platinum or Multi-Platinum certification.
“Yodeling Boy” Mason Ramsey Inks Deal With Atlantic Records, Big Loud
/by Jessica NicholsonAfter his rendition of the Williams classic went viral, he made an appearance on Ellen and made his Grand Ole Opry debut, as well as an appearance at Coachella. He is scheduled for a return visit to Ellen today, and will join Florida Georgia Line for an appearance at the Stagecoach festival tonight.
Mason Ramsey said, “I’d been to Nashville a few times before, but never thought something like this would happen. It’s a dream to sign with Atlantic and Big Loud. I loved recording ‘Famous’ and can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”
Ian Cripps, Atlantic Records Vice President of A&R said: “I loved the video that went viral, and after spending time with Mason, I knew he was a star. He has the talent and emotional ability to really feel a song and sing from his soul. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to work with him and his family to help develop his career. Coachella, Stagecoach … World, here he comes.”
Seth England, Big Loud Partner said, “The minute Mason and his family walked into Big Loud, I knew we had to work with him. He is a star, but most importantly he is a down to earth kid who loves country music. The Ramseys are an amazing family from a small Southern Illinois town just like me. We understood them, and their goals and simply fell in love with their story and vision. I want to give a special thank you to Julie Greenwald, Craig Kallman, Ian Cripps and Jeff Levin at Atlantic for also believing in Big Loud as their partner on this project. This would have never happened without you guys and we’re forever grateful. Most of all, I want to thank The Ramseys, Danny Kang and Dan Awad for trusting Big Loud and Atlantic to join them on this journey.”
“Famous” will soon be joined by a new companion video, currently in production. Produced by Joey Moi (Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen) and Corey Crowder (Chris Young), the track was written by Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard (Jason Aldean), Corey Crowder (Chris Young, A Thousand Horses), Sarah Buxton (Chris Lane, Keith Urban), and Canaan Smith (Florida Georgia Line, Love & Theft).
Spotify’s Hot Country Playlist Now Enhanced With Original Video
/by Jessica NicholsonKeith Urban becomes first artist on Spotify Hot Country to enhance the playlist with video, supporting his Graffiti U album, out April 27.
Spotify’s flagship country playlist, Hot Country, is now enhanced with video. The newly enhanced playlist follows the recent video integrations of fellow Spotify playlists such as Rap Caviar and Viva Latino, which combine music and video into a single view, allowing Spotify users to listen to their favorite audio tracks, as well as watch original interviews and music videos featuring their favorite artists on the on-demand streaming service.
The Hot Country enhanced playlist launches today (Friday, April 27) with content from Keith Urban, who releases his latest album, Graffiti U, today, as well as content from Kacey Musgraves and a special performance from Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton.
On Hot Country, Urban will offer viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his extensive guitar collection, as he discusses his love of playing in his new home studio, and looks at the inspiration behind his new album.
Urban said, “Spotify has been an amazing partner, helping me to connect my music with people all over the planet. On their new Hot Country playlist people will not only hear Graffiti U, they’ll be able to come inside the studio with me and see a bit about the making of the album. Can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”
According to Brittany Schaffer, Head of Artist and Label Marketing at Spotify’s Nashville office, the country music audience has been slower to adopt streaming than audiences of other genres. However, she says “country artists have been craving the attention of the streaming services to help bring the country audience into streaming and craving a deeper ability to connect with and expand their audiences,” she says. “The enhancement of the Hot Country playlist is Spotify’s first significant step in helping artists do just that.”
Schaffer also notes that the enhanced playlist is only the beginning of Spotify’s collaboration with the country industry. “Spotify is serious about making an impact in country music, and the launch of the Hot Country enhanced playlist is only the first step in showing that commitment,” she says. “This opportunity is opening new doors for current and potential listeners of country music, in Nashville and around the world. Our commitment doesn’t start and end with the launch of Hot Country.”
To bring more Hot Country to its more than 4.5 million followers worldwide, the enhanced playlist feature will also launch in four additional markets outside the U.S.: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Spain (in addition to the UK, Sweden, and Latin America).
According to John Marks, Programming Head of Country Music at Spotify, the audience for country music will only keep growing. “There are multiple awakenings happening right now. Streaming is opening a global market. There’s been a hybridizing of other international music into the country playlists, which is opening people’s eyes and minds to country music in other countries. Launching in those markets—which have very active fan bases—will start to speed up the process.”
Marks, who has a long history working in Nashville with country industry and artists, is enthusiastic about the partnership—and he’s not the only one, he says. “The Nashville music industry and Nashville artists have really embraced this idea out of the shoot. We have some big stars on board with Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney, and there are plenty others on queue. It’s really been gratifying to see how quickly and how nimbly everyone in the industry has supported this idea of enhanced playlists and to see it all come together.”
Executives from Sony Music Nashville, Universal Music Group Nashville, and Warner Music Nashville also weighed in on the newly enhanced playlist.
“Late last year when Spotify rolled out their Open House they talked about Nashville as such an important market and musical identity that they were focused on growing, and I really wanted to believe it was true,” said UMG Nashville’s Cindy Mabe. “Coming into 2018, I watched the thorough roll out of the Cover Stories, a weekly video series with the Hot Country enhanced playlist and I am absolutely blown away. The most important job I do is to tell our artists’ stories and vision for what they have to say through their music so the fans can connect. Spotify has truly put their money where their mouth is with their investment in Nashville while leaning into our artists’ stories in order to grow the audience. I know there is a lot more yet to be rolled out but I am so excited to watch as Spotify brings our music to our fans in new and exciting ways.”
“Not only is Spotify’s relaunch of Hot Country another clear sign of their deepening commitment to country music, it’s also an indicator that fans of our genre are consuming music in more new ways than ever before, through video and on their phones,” said Warner Music Nashville’s John Esposito. “The addition of video content to the playlist will surely bring a deeper connection between the fans and the artists they love. Music and video are certainly going to “Get Along” together on Hot Country!”
“We’re so excited that Spotify is furthering their investment in country music by offering another level of media to their Hot Country playlist!” said Sony Music Nashville’s Randy Goodman. “More new ways we can showcase our artists and grow country music streaming in general is a great and welcome thing!”
Weekly Chart Report 4/27/18
/by Alex ParryClick here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.