CMA Consumer Research Committee Co-Chair David Ross; CMA Chairman Randy Goodman; former EVP, Chief Consumer Officer for Starcom MediaVest Group and current Principal for The Right Brain Consumer Consulting, LLC Jana OBrien; CMA Consumer Research Committee Chairman Joe Galante; EVP/Director of Research Services for Leo Burnett Carol Foley, CMA Chief Executive Officer Tammy Genovese; CMA Board Member Ed Hardy; CMA Board Member Jeff Walker; and CMA VP Strategic Marketing & Communications Dan Bowen gather after the CMA consumer research panel at CRS-40. Photo: Amanda Eckard/CMA
The CMA presented findings from its Country Music Consumer Segmentation Study to CRS attendees this morning, (3/5). The data presented is part of an extensive study commissioned by the CMA to define and examine the key consumer revenue drivers for country music. The study, was based upon a phase one sample of over 7,500 consumers, with a call back sample of 1,850 and also featured 10 focus groups from three regions—Charlotte, Chicago and Phoenix. “The project is perhaps the most far-reaching and comprehensive study of Country Music consumer attitudes and behavior ever undertaken,” said Brian Philips, President of CMT and a member of CMA’s Board of Directors. “The broad sample of more than 7000 consumers gives it statistical reliability we haven’t seen before.”
The study was conducted by Leo Burnett Company and Starcom MediaVest Group using proprietary BrandProspect Segmentation techniques. The CMA Consumer Research Committee was chaired by Joe Galante who, together with other CMA stakeholders, was instrumental in helping to design and fine tune the study’s mission. “We intend to present the findings in a very direct way and continue to respond to changes in the marketplace,” said CMA CEO Tammy Genovese. “We want our constituent groups to fully understand the challenges we face and have a clear vision of what needs to be done to find and engage our consumer in a way that will help build a base of revenue.”
CMA will provide the complete CRS presentation on the CMA member Web site, where CMA members can access the presentation and audio files with their member password. Information will also be included in CMA’s bi-monthly member publication CMA Close Up, beginning with the April/May edition.
The Key Findings presented below are from a CMA press release. Music Row will present its own analysis and questions based upon this data early next week.
• • •
Country Fans—Core & Low Funding
[CMA Press] Approximately 2 in 5 American adults ages 18-54 (39.6 percent) qualify as “Country Music Fans,” as defined by the study. These individuals further split into two major groups based on current and potential revenue contribution: a small group or “Core,” who account for the vast majority of Country Music spending; and the larger group “Low-Funding” who engage heavily for free in the Country Music pipeline, but represent future revenue growth potential.
“The ‘Low Funders’ don’t spend a lot of money, but they do spend a lot of time with Country Music,” Jana O’Brien (former EVP, Chief Consumer Officer for Starcom MediaVest Group and current Principal for The Right Brain Consumer Consulting, LLC) explained.
For the most part, they are who you think they are. Demographically, The Core Country Music user is “a bit” more likely to be Caucasian and from smaller towns. They skew slightly female, but there is no significant age or income difference from non-Country Music users.
What does distinguish them from Poor Prospects is a blend of attitudes and behavior across three key dimensions: Affinity (“I like it”); Engagement (“I consume it for free’); and Revenue (“I buy it”).
When it came to “Affinity,” consistently across ages and genders, County Music and some form of rock music were the genres the subjects of the study would not want to live without. Country was favored because of the relevance to real life and universal truths; appropriateness for the family; buddies, BBQ, beer, dancing and fun; the outdoors; and its staying power and enduring appeal.
All genres can be mapped perceptually. In perceptual research, Country Music owned an area characterized by meaning and virtue. Rock on the other hand, is largely perceived as provocative and music-based. This helps explain why Country and rock were “can’t live without” formats for the Country Music core.
A key learning from this data was that it was important to present new artists in a manner that illustrated their personal ties and commitment to the essence of the genre in order to connect with the people who buy the records and concert tickets in a very tangible and sincere way.
Both qualitative and quantitative revealed a clear hierarchy of engagement in Country Music across predominantly free media pipelines with radio at the top, followed by television, Internet, and print. With 79 percent of Country adopters listening to Country radio it is the pinnacle Country Music connection with an average of more than 24 hours spent listening each month.
They know what they like, and don’t like. They like the “free” nature of the medium. They appreciate that it is family-friendly and acceptable for all ages. They like the mood enhancing, energizing quality of the music. And, in general, DJs are a plus. But there are minuses, too, including radio’s perceived repetitiveness and limited song list; the general lack of identifying the artists was a frustration; and the number of commercials led to channel surfing or switching to CD or iPod listening.
An aggregate 81 percent engage in one or more TV pipelines to find Country Music, but spend less time doing it – 13 hours a month versus 24 for Country radio. Popular choices include CMT (53 percent); the CMA Awards (48 percent); the ACM Awards (40 percent); GAC (27 percent); and “Nashville Star” (25 percent).
The Internet is reshaping the media habits of Country Music users and consumers with Web access. The key to online engagement is access – for those 71 percent of those who have it, the Internet becomes the central medium. Not surprisingly, younger Country Music enthusiasts are much more likely to have a digital Country Music engagement focus and will undoubtedly carry this tendency into their future years.
Like their interests, the dollar of the Country Music user is spread across a range of revenue sources. The largest percentage still purchase CDs (54 percent). Among Country consumers ages 18-54, 65 percent are “CD-dominant” and 35 percent are “Digital-dominant” based on total Country Music acquired. And once they become “Digital-dominant” Country Music acquirers, they contribute very little CD revenue.
Digital-dominants pay for less than half of the Country Music they acquire with far more unpaid acquisition via CD ripping versus illegal downloads. The percentage of Country Music volume paid for by Digital-dominants is 38 percent, compared to 67 percent for CD-dominant users. Currently CD copying (piracy) is more prominent than illegal downloads. Thirty-eight percent have borrowed a Country CD to copy compared to 23 percent who have gotten free downloads. “They look at copying CDs as ‘sharing’ not ‘stealing’,” O’Brien offered.
Overall, 1 in 4 Country Music supporters attended a Country concert in the past year, which translates to 11 percent of the US adult population ages 18-54. They see it as the “best way” to experience the music. They believe it deepens the artist/fan relationship. There is a strong interest in cross-genre concerts with Country and rock. On the negative side, they felt “ripped off” by the price of merchandise and they were frustrated by unknown or hidden fees that increased the cost of the concert-going experience.
Poor Prospects
So, who is not a fan? There are three types of “Poor Prospects” that account for 60.4 percent of the American adult population ages 18-54:
1. Disengaged Gift Givers (7.9 percent), who dislike Country Music, but sometimes give it as a gift to people who like it
2. Music Rejecters (34.5 percent), who are not engaged with music of any kind
3. Country Music Rejecters (18 percent), who are engaged with music, but dislike Country Music
“Don’t waste valuable financial resources or time on this group,” said Carol Foley (EVP, Director of Research Services for Leo Burnett). “We encourage you to write off the ‘Poor Prospects’ because this group is the least likely to become Country Music consumers capable of generating future income for the industry.”
The industry’s “bread and butter” is the “Core.” They are music lovers who drive extensive revenue and they can be divided into two groups: CountryPhiles and MusicPhiles.
CountryPhiles
CountryPhiles skew slightly female (54 percent) versus the average American adult, they are more likely to be married, Caucasian and from small towns. They are passionate fans of Country Music. They appreciate the core values of the format and the artists. And, their commitment translates to both significant engagement time and industry revenue. “Protecting and more fully leveraging this group should be the Country Music industry’s top priority, because even small erosion among this group has substantial negative revenue implications,” Foley said. “The good news is that they are not entirely drained as a revenue stream and the study revealed opportunities to generate more engagement.” They engage with many Country Music portals, but less with digital. Only half have home Internet, but many access the Internet elsewhere – at work or away from home. There were three key reasons driving lack of home Internet access: the cost, they had no interest/or need, and their inexperience or content concerns. Fifty-eight percent of this group did claim that they want to have Internet connectivity in the near future. This group accounts for a major proportion of total Country Music related media hours – especially with radio (33 percent). CountryPhiles claim Country radio as the No. 1 vehicle for introducing new Country Music. They are very CD/album oriented and are willing to pay for music. More than half (55 percent) believe you really miss something when you only purchase songs rather than the whole CD by an artist. Fifty-six percent believe it is important to support the artists they love by paying for their music.
MusicPhiles
MusicPhiles skew male (55 percent) versus the average American adult, they are younger, more diverse (especially Hispanic) and more urban. They are extremely hip, high tech, engaged music lovers who happen to include Country Music in the mix. “They like it, more than they love it,” O’Brien said. MusicPhiles are “music ambassadors” who spend as much or more on buying Country Music CDs for others as for themselves. Though heavily involved with all sorts of media, they are not as deeply engaged with Country radio, TV or Web. In contrast to the CountryPhiles, they are much more tech-savvy and digitally focused. They have large CD and digital libraries and their Country Music collections exceed those of CountryPhiles. While they spend less time with Country radio than CountryPhiles, they still cite it as their No. 1 source when it comes to discovering new music.
MusicPhiles and CountryPhiles collectively contribute a significant amount of money to the format, so it was important to look at the impact of current economic conditions on these two Core Country Music segments with additional research conducted in November.
Economic Factors
Nearly 9 in 10 CountryPhiles have negative perceptions of the overall state of the economy and 6 in 10 express personal financial challenges. Versus total American adults, MusicPhiles are less intensely negative about the overall economy, and fewer (51 percent vs. 59 percent) express personal financial challenges.
More than half of CountryPhiles claim they are already spending less on Country Music as well as many other discretionary items.
“We do not see this trend reversing anytime soon,” O’Brien said.
With that in mind, it is important to maximize and grow the potential spending of the “Low-Funders.” There are five distinct types of people who have a strong Country Music affinity and a fair amount of engagement, but who fail to generate much revenue:
1. Today’s Digital: have some potential to engage with digital content, but are resistant to traditional media and to revenue of all types
2. Today’s Traditional: CountryPhiles in training. This group just hasn’t made the revenue commitment, yet
3. Classical Digital: Men, very into gritty rock-influenced, classic artists. Operating almost entirely online with weak revenue
4. Classic Traditional: Older and fixated on classic artists. They are feeling “left behind.” They spend time with traditional media, but are having declining revenue behaviors because of the impression that there is nothing left to buy
5. Pop Country: Very urban, responding to new, female, pop-leaning Country artists. MusicPhiles in training.
Obviously, “Today’s Traditional” and “Pop Country” groups have better revenue growth potential than the other three.
Implications
The implications for CMA and the Country Music industry are clear. The Core Country Music target is small (7.6 percent), but dedicated and a huge revenue generator for the business. They account for a major proportion of Country radio listening and they feel and crave a strong connection to the format.
The Low Funding segment is a much larger consumer base (36 percent) with potential growth. They are listening to radio online and offline and are notable and diverse in their unpaid engagement with Country Music.
CMA Presents Consumer Research To CRS Attendees
/by bossrossCMA Consumer Research Committee Co-Chair David Ross; CMA Chairman Randy Goodman; former EVP, Chief Consumer Officer for Starcom MediaVest Group and current Principal for The Right Brain Consumer Consulting, LLC Jana OBrien; CMA Consumer Research Committee Chairman Joe Galante; EVP/Director of Research Services for Leo Burnett Carol Foley, CMA Chief Executive Officer Tammy Genovese; CMA Board Member Ed Hardy; CMA Board Member Jeff Walker; and CMA VP Strategic Marketing & Communications Dan Bowen gather after the CMA consumer research panel at CRS-40. Photo: Amanda Eckard/CMA
The CMA presented findings from its Country Music Consumer Segmentation Study to CRS attendees this morning, (3/5). The data presented is part of an extensive study commissioned by the CMA to define and examine the key consumer revenue drivers for country music. The study, was based upon a phase one sample of over 7,500 consumers, with a call back sample of 1,850 and also featured 10 focus groups from three regions—Charlotte, Chicago and Phoenix. “The project is perhaps the most far-reaching and comprehensive study of Country Music consumer attitudes and behavior ever undertaken,” said Brian Philips, President of CMT and a member of CMA’s Board of Directors. “The broad sample of more than 7000 consumers gives it statistical reliability we haven’t seen before.”
The study was conducted by Leo Burnett Company and Starcom MediaVest Group using proprietary BrandProspect Segmentation techniques. The CMA Consumer Research Committee was chaired by Joe Galante who, together with other CMA stakeholders, was instrumental in helping to design and fine tune the study’s mission. “We intend to present the findings in a very direct way and continue to respond to changes in the marketplace,” said CMA CEO Tammy Genovese. “We want our constituent groups to fully understand the challenges we face and have a clear vision of what needs to be done to find and engage our consumer in a way that will help build a base of revenue.”
CMA will provide the complete CRS presentation on the CMA member Web site, where CMA members can access the presentation and audio files with their member password. Information will also be included in CMA’s bi-monthly member publication CMA Close Up, beginning with the April/May edition.
The Key Findings presented below are from a CMA press release. Music Row will present its own analysis and questions based upon this data early next week.
• • •
Country Fans—Core & Low Funding
[CMA Press] Approximately 2 in 5 American adults ages 18-54 (39.6 percent) qualify as “Country Music Fans,” as defined by the study. These individuals further split into two major groups based on current and potential revenue contribution: a small group or “Core,” who account for the vast majority of Country Music spending; and the larger group “Low-Funding” who engage heavily for free in the Country Music pipeline, but represent future revenue growth potential.
“The ‘Low Funders’ don’t spend a lot of money, but they do spend a lot of time with Country Music,” Jana O’Brien (former EVP, Chief Consumer Officer for Starcom MediaVest Group and current Principal for The Right Brain Consumer Consulting, LLC) explained.
For the most part, they are who you think they are. Demographically, The Core Country Music user is “a bit” more likely to be Caucasian and from smaller towns. They skew slightly female, but there is no significant age or income difference from non-Country Music users.
What does distinguish them from Poor Prospects is a blend of attitudes and behavior across three key dimensions: Affinity (“I like it”); Engagement (“I consume it for free’); and Revenue (“I buy it”).
When it came to “Affinity,” consistently across ages and genders, County Music and some form of rock music were the genres the subjects of the study would not want to live without. Country was favored because of the relevance to real life and universal truths; appropriateness for the family; buddies, BBQ, beer, dancing and fun; the outdoors; and its staying power and enduring appeal.
All genres can be mapped perceptually. In perceptual research, Country Music owned an area characterized by meaning and virtue. Rock on the other hand, is largely perceived as provocative and music-based. This helps explain why Country and rock were “can’t live without” formats for the Country Music core.
A key learning from this data was that it was important to present new artists in a manner that illustrated their personal ties and commitment to the essence of the genre in order to connect with the people who buy the records and concert tickets in a very tangible and sincere way.
Both qualitative and quantitative revealed a clear hierarchy of engagement in Country Music across predominantly free media pipelines with radio at the top, followed by television, Internet, and print. With 79 percent of Country adopters listening to Country radio it is the pinnacle Country Music connection with an average of more than 24 hours spent listening each month.
They know what they like, and don’t like. They like the “free” nature of the medium. They appreciate that it is family-friendly and acceptable for all ages. They like the mood enhancing, energizing quality of the music. And, in general, DJs are a plus. But there are minuses, too, including radio’s perceived repetitiveness and limited song list; the general lack of identifying the artists was a frustration; and the number of commercials led to channel surfing or switching to CD or iPod listening.
An aggregate 81 percent engage in one or more TV pipelines to find Country Music, but spend less time doing it – 13 hours a month versus 24 for Country radio. Popular choices include CMT (53 percent); the CMA Awards (48 percent); the ACM Awards (40 percent); GAC (27 percent); and “Nashville Star” (25 percent).
The Internet is reshaping the media habits of Country Music users and consumers with Web access. The key to online engagement is access – for those 71 percent of those who have it, the Internet becomes the central medium. Not surprisingly, younger Country Music enthusiasts are much more likely to have a digital Country Music engagement focus and will undoubtedly carry this tendency into their future years.
Like their interests, the dollar of the Country Music user is spread across a range of revenue sources. The largest percentage still purchase CDs (54 percent). Among Country consumers ages 18-54, 65 percent are “CD-dominant” and 35 percent are “Digital-dominant” based on total Country Music acquired. And once they become “Digital-dominant” Country Music acquirers, they contribute very little CD revenue.
Digital-dominants pay for less than half of the Country Music they acquire with far more unpaid acquisition via CD ripping versus illegal downloads. The percentage of Country Music volume paid for by Digital-dominants is 38 percent, compared to 67 percent for CD-dominant users. Currently CD copying (piracy) is more prominent than illegal downloads. Thirty-eight percent have borrowed a Country CD to copy compared to 23 percent who have gotten free downloads. “They look at copying CDs as ‘sharing’ not ‘stealing’,” O’Brien offered.
Overall, 1 in 4 Country Music supporters attended a Country concert in the past year, which translates to 11 percent of the US adult population ages 18-54. They see it as the “best way” to experience the music. They believe it deepens the artist/fan relationship. There is a strong interest in cross-genre concerts with Country and rock. On the negative side, they felt “ripped off” by the price of merchandise and they were frustrated by unknown or hidden fees that increased the cost of the concert-going experience.
Poor Prospects
So, who is not a fan? There are three types of “Poor Prospects” that account for 60.4 percent of the American adult population ages 18-54:
1. Disengaged Gift Givers (7.9 percent), who dislike Country Music, but sometimes give it as a gift to people who like it
2. Music Rejecters (34.5 percent), who are not engaged with music of any kind
3. Country Music Rejecters (18 percent), who are engaged with music, but dislike Country Music
“Don’t waste valuable financial resources or time on this group,” said Carol Foley (EVP, Director of Research Services for Leo Burnett). “We encourage you to write off the ‘Poor Prospects’ because this group is the least likely to become Country Music consumers capable of generating future income for the industry.”
The industry’s “bread and butter” is the “Core.” They are music lovers who drive extensive revenue and they can be divided into two groups: CountryPhiles and MusicPhiles.
CountryPhiles
CountryPhiles skew slightly female (54 percent) versus the average American adult, they are more likely to be married, Caucasian and from small towns. They are passionate fans of Country Music. They appreciate the core values of the format and the artists. And, their commitment translates to both significant engagement time and industry revenue. “Protecting and more fully leveraging this group should be the Country Music industry’s top priority, because even small erosion among this group has substantial negative revenue implications,” Foley said. “The good news is that they are not entirely drained as a revenue stream and the study revealed opportunities to generate more engagement.” They engage with many Country Music portals, but less with digital. Only half have home Internet, but many access the Internet elsewhere – at work or away from home. There were three key reasons driving lack of home Internet access: the cost, they had no interest/or need, and their inexperience or content concerns. Fifty-eight percent of this group did claim that they want to have Internet connectivity in the near future. This group accounts for a major proportion of total Country Music related media hours – especially with radio (33 percent). CountryPhiles claim Country radio as the No. 1 vehicle for introducing new Country Music. They are very CD/album oriented and are willing to pay for music. More than half (55 percent) believe you really miss something when you only purchase songs rather than the whole CD by an artist. Fifty-six percent believe it is important to support the artists they love by paying for their music.
MusicPhiles
MusicPhiles skew male (55 percent) versus the average American adult, they are younger, more diverse (especially Hispanic) and more urban. They are extremely hip, high tech, engaged music lovers who happen to include Country Music in the mix. “They like it, more than they love it,” O’Brien said. MusicPhiles are “music ambassadors” who spend as much or more on buying Country Music CDs for others as for themselves. Though heavily involved with all sorts of media, they are not as deeply engaged with Country radio, TV or Web. In contrast to the CountryPhiles, they are much more tech-savvy and digitally focused. They have large CD and digital libraries and their Country Music collections exceed those of CountryPhiles. While they spend less time with Country radio than CountryPhiles, they still cite it as their No. 1 source when it comes to discovering new music.
MusicPhiles and CountryPhiles collectively contribute a significant amount of money to the format, so it was important to look at the impact of current economic conditions on these two Core Country Music segments with additional research conducted in November.
Economic Factors
Nearly 9 in 10 CountryPhiles have negative perceptions of the overall state of the economy and 6 in 10 express personal financial challenges. Versus total American adults, MusicPhiles are less intensely negative about the overall economy, and fewer (51 percent vs. 59 percent) express personal financial challenges.
More than half of CountryPhiles claim they are already spending less on Country Music as well as many other discretionary items.
“We do not see this trend reversing anytime soon,” O’Brien said.
With that in mind, it is important to maximize and grow the potential spending of the “Low-Funders.” There are five distinct types of people who have a strong Country Music affinity and a fair amount of engagement, but who fail to generate much revenue:
1. Today’s Digital: have some potential to engage with digital content, but are resistant to traditional media and to revenue of all types
2. Today’s Traditional: CountryPhiles in training. This group just hasn’t made the revenue commitment, yet
3. Classical Digital: Men, very into gritty rock-influenced, classic artists. Operating almost entirely online with weak revenue
4. Classic Traditional: Older and fixated on classic artists. They are feeling “left behind.” They spend time with traditional media, but are having declining revenue behaviors because of the impression that there is nothing left to buy
5. Pop Country: Very urban, responding to new, female, pop-leaning Country artists. MusicPhiles in training.
Obviously, “Today’s Traditional” and “Pop Country” groups have better revenue growth potential than the other three.
Implications
The implications for CMA and the Country Music industry are clear. The Core Country Music target is small (7.6 percent), but dedicated and a huge revenue generator for the business. They account for a major proportion of Country radio listening and they feel and crave a strong connection to the format.
The Low Funding segment is a much larger consumer base (36 percent) with potential growth. They are listening to radio online and offline and are notable and diverse in their unpaid engagement with Country Music.
Taylor Swift Does CSI, ACM and CRS
/by LB CantrellIn additional Swift news, the singer/songwriter’s chart-topping sophomore album, Fearless, picked up an Album of the Year nomination today from the Academy of Country Music. Joining the singer with ACM top album nominations are George Strait, Jamey Johnson, Carrie Underwood and Montgomery Gentry.
As if that weren’t enough … Swift has been named headliner and host of the Academy of Country Music-sponsored Music City Jam at next year’s Country Radio Seminar. The event, which is entering its sixth year, has become a centerpiece of CRS, and Swift succeeds a superstar list of hosts including Keith Urban (2006), Toby Keith (2007), Brad Paisley (2008), and Tim McGraw, who ably hosted CRS-40’s Music City Jam last night.
Caraeff Tapped As Digital Summit Keynote Speaker
/by LB CantrelleLabs handles UMG’s electronic commerce initiatives, Internet exploitation, and new technology business opportunities, and Caraeff oversees the implementation of the company’s digital strategy, exploring digital opportunities and emerging business models.
With a broad background in new entertainment technologies, Caraeff previously served as GM for Universal Music Mobile. Under his leadership, UMG became the first company to launch the direct-to-consumer mobile sales.
A second keynote will feature Michael Masnick, Editor of Techdirt Blog, and President/CEO of Floor64. Masnick will present “Serving Your Fans: The Trent Reznor Case Study,” on Wednesday, March 25 at 8:30 am. His speech will explore innovative business models utilized by musician Trent Reznor and his band, Nine Inch Nails, to connect with fans.
KCRS Live
/by LB CantrellCRS-40 festivities continued on Wednesday (3/4) with the ASCAP sponsored “KCRS Live Show” featuring Jimmy Wayne, Kelley Lovelace, Ashley Gorley and Jonathan Singleton. (L-R): ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, Singleton, Gorley, ASCAP’s Connie Bradley, Wayne and Lovelace.
Music City Jam
/by LB CantrellLast night’s Music City Jam was headlined by Tim McGraw and sponsored by the Academy of Country Music. The Warren Brothers hosted with Lance Miller, Halfway To Hazard, Lori McKenna and McGraw’s niece Catherine Raney performing. Faith Hill introduced special guest Randy Owen. ACM’s Bob Romeo announced Taylor Swift as next year’s Music City Jam performer.
Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Randy Owen and Lance Miller
Jamey Johnson’s Downtown Shutdown
/by LB CantrellLyric Street/Carolwood Records CRS Guitar Pull
/by LB CantrellLyric Street Records/Carolwood Records hosted a CRS guitar pull last night (3/4) at the ICON in the Gulch featuring performances by Billy Ray Cyrus, Trent Tomlinson, Sarah Buxton, Bucky Covington and Love And Theft. (L-R) front: Greg McCarn, Lyric Street/Carolwood Records and Dale Turner, Lyric Street Records Promo. Back: Covington; Chris Palmer, Carolwood Records Promo; Renee Leymon, Lyric Street Records Promo; Randy Goodman, Lyric Street/Carolwood Records; Buxton; Tomlinson; Johnny Park (The Parks); Kevin Herring, Lyric Street/Carolwood Records Promo; Clint Park (The Parks); Cyrus; Brian Bandas (Love And Theft); Stephen Barker Liles (Love And Theft); John Ettinger, Carolwood Promo; and Eric Gunderson (Love And Theft).
Richie Fields Ushers In CRS 40
/by LB CantrellJoint Journey Records artist Richie Fields hosted a dinner at The Palm in Nashville Tuesday night (3/3) to welcome friends in radio to CRS-40. (L-R): WAKG’s Alan Rowe, KLMJ’s Mike Betten, promoter Christina Bear, Fields, promoter Regina Raleigh and WGLR’s Ryan McCall. Photo: Clif Doyal
Bobby Karl Works the DJ and Radio Hall of Fame Banquet
/by Bobby Karl(L-R): Hall of Fame Inductees Chuck Collier (DJ), Bob McKay (Radio), Moon Mullins (Radio), Shelia Shipley Biddy (Presidents Award) and Gerry House (DJ). Photo: Bev Moser
Chapter 305
House and Haggard rocked the room at this year’s Country Music DJ and Radio Hall of Fame banquet.
Nashville’s favorite morning jock and the poet of the working man were in the spotlight in the Convention Center ballroom Tuesday evening (3/3) as we eased our way into this year’s Country Radio Seminar whoop-de-doo.
Merle Haggard received the Career Achievement Award from Larry Daniels. It seems that Larry was a DJ at the Bakersfield, CA radio station when a young Merle came by and asked if he could listen to records in the station’s library. Larry also had a band. Merle asked if he could sit in and sing some songs for $35. By the time Larry was on the air in Phoenix, Merle was making $35,000 per show!
Singer Jack Ingram recalled that in Dallas, his first set list had 25 songs, 12 of which were Merle Haggard tunes. “I sang this one at every show,” Jack said, referring to 1982’s “Are the Good Times Really Over.”
“I was in my car when I first heard that,” said Emmylou Harris, “and I nearly drove off the road….I’m nervous about singing my favorite Merle Haggard song in front of Merle. It is also a waltz.” Accompanied by Carl Jackson and Phil Madeira, Emmy sang 1985’s “Kern River.”
Merle was greeted by a long standing ovation as Larry brought him to the stage. The first thing Merle did in his acceptance speech was to thank Jack and Emmy. He is back to touring and recording following a period of ill health.
“I’ve been battling pneumonia, and I think I’m winning,” said Merle. “I’m one of the lucky few who survived lung cancer without chemo or radiation.”
He reminisced about label execs Jimmy Bowen and Rick Blackburn, recalling that the latter repeatedly criticized and made fun of “Kern River.”
“I said, ‘Are you the s.o.b. who fired Johnny Cash yesterday? You’re the dumbest s.o.b. I’ve ever met!’” The crowd roared.
Attendees roared even louder during Gerry House’s evening-closing acceptance speech. Peppered with gags, it was easily the jolliest in the event’s history.
An early radio job was in Richmond, KY, where Gerry recalled that the station was owned by a shyster preacher who said, “Send me your tumors. I’lll heal them and send them back.” He referred to sidekick and inductor Mike Bohan as “my male escort.” “It’s good to see you back in men’s clothes,” he wisecracked. WSIX sidekicks Duncan Stewart and Al Voecks were also ribbed, the latter having endured Gerry’s age jokes for years. “We played ‘What’s in your wallet.’ And when we opened Al’s there was a picture of Jesus. And it was a Polaroid!” Gerry quipped. He thanked his mother for giving him his sense of humor. Back in the day, she was often on his show.
Mother: “I painted the toilet seat, forgot and sat on it.”
Gerry: “What color was it?”
Mother: “Well, I have the only Blue Moon in Kentucky.”
Gerry’s wife Allison and daughter Autumn House were also on the receiving end of his quips. In concluding, Gerry said, “I just hope radio doesn’t forget we’re in the entertainment business.” In his case, it certainly is.
The other DJ Hall of Fame inductee was Chuck Collier, who was inducted by Cleveland’s WGAR p.d. Brian Jennings. Chuck is rare in this industry in that except for a 1975-76 stint in New York City, he has spent his entire career, 37 years, at the same station, WGAR.
Quoting Bill Anderson, Chuck said, “If you can find something you’re so passionate about that you’d do it for free, but they pay you anyway, you’ll never work a day in your life….I’m very blessed.”
A Radio Hall of Fame category was added to this ceremony in 2001 to honor folks who made contributions off the microphone. This year’s honorees were Moon Mullins and Bob McKay.
Bob Moody inducted Moon as “a man who has programmed some of the truly great radio stations in the history of this format.” Moon’s itinerary has included Lubbock, Kansas City, Wichita, Louisville, New York City, Nashville and Tulsa.” He’s currently in Owensboro, KY.
“I’m glad to be going in with a bunch of good guys,” he said, referring to his fellow honorees.
McKay was inducted by Lon Helton. “He has programmed major market country radio stations for 32 years,” said Lon. “He retires at the end of this year after 43 years.”
Bob was the most emotional of the honorees, choking up several times during his acceptance speech. “I really am overwhelmed by this tremendous honor,” he said.
Becky Bremer presented the CRB President’s Award to Shelia Shipley-Biddy.
“I look around and I see many of you who have become my extended family,” said Shelia. “The two areas of my career that I hold most dear are country music and country radio. I’m proud that I worked during the era of this format’s greatest growth.”
Charlie Monk and R.J. Curtis recognized the Hall of Famers in the audience, including Bob Kingsley, Johnny K, Charlie Douglas, Smokey Smith, Romeo Sullivan, Cayote Calhoun, Dandelion, Dr. Bruce Nelson, Les Acree, Ed Salamon and Ted Cramer.
Working the room were Phil Vassar, Radney Foster, Craig Morgan, Darius Rucker and Jeffrey Steele, not to mention Jewel Coburn, Ed Benson, Mike Dungan, Joe Galante, Gregg Brown, Hank Adam Locklin, Sarah Brosmer, Butch Waugh, Jimmy Harnon, Fletcher Foster, Tammy Genovese, David Haley, Tom Baldrica, Bill Catino and Chuck Chellman, who founded the Country Disc Jockey Hall of Fame way back in 1975.
(L-R): CRB Executive Director Ed Salamon, Jack Ingram, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, guitarist Carl Jackson, CRB President Becky Brenner. Photo: Bev Moser
Swift Rules; Owen Debuts At No. 2 (3/4/09)
/by bossrossJake Owen’s sophomore set Easy Does It debuted at No. 2 on this week’s chart with 23,187 units. Owen’s single “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You” is currently No. 13 on the Country Breakout airplay list and moving upward. The singer/songwriter recently earned ACM nominations for Vocal Event and Top New Male Vocalist.
YTD Country music sales continue to lag about 14% behind the same period last year, however country digital album sales (contained in the above totals) have increased a strong 46%. Catalog (trending downward) now accounts for 50% of total country sales.
SoundScan still doesn’t break out hot digital track sales by genre. (Editor: A spokesperson recently said this should begin happening later this year. Hopefully it will be in place before SoundScan numbers become completely irrelevant to the music industry metrics of success.) Anyway, top country digital download tracks include Taylor Swift “Love Story” (72,146) and “White Horse (35,656); Zac Brown Band “Chicken Fried” (31,101); Jason Aldean “She’s Country” (24,752); and Toby Keith “God Love Her” (18,537). No. 1 on the Hot Digital Tracks chart for the week was Flo Rida “Right Round” with 334,312 units downloaded.