February 26, 2010
Issue 3
Bryan Adams Rocks Sony Cruise
“Welcome to Alcatraz,” Brad Paisley joked during his show
opening performance on the annual Sony/Nashville Dinner Cruise.
“The only way off this rock is to swim.” The three-hour show capped
an eventful CRS Thursday that is detailed below.
Back on the General Jackson, Paisley performed his new single
“Water” and “She’s Her Own Woman” before announcing his upcoming
H2O Tour, which will include Darius Rucker, Justin Moore, Josh
Thompson and Steel Magnolia. He was later joined by VP/Promotion
Skip Bishop in announcing a water-themed video contest for stations,
with winning entries to be included in the video for “Water.”
Kellie Pickler honored hero Loretta Lynn with “You Ain’t
Woman Enough” and sang her own “Makin’ Me Fall In Love Again.”
Following her set, Pickler was presented with a plaque marking 1
million downloads of her single “Best Days Of Your Life.”
Josh Thompson was joined by Miranda Lambert on his song
“Sinner.” Lambert took over with new single “The House That Built
Me,” then told the crowd, “I’ve been waiting a long time to play this
next song. Its only been in the last couple weeks I’ve been able play
it as a No. 1 song.” A cheer went up as she spun into “White Liar.”
Carrie Underwood joined Lambert for a cover of CCR’s “Travelin’
Band,” and before Lambert could leave the stage she received a gold
album plaque for Revolution.
Underwood opened with “Temporary Home” and turned the vocal power
up for “Undo It.” Bishop and Sony/Nashville Chairman Joe Galante then
brought up plaque commemorating 20 million digital transactions.
A break in the musical action came as Galante focused the spotlight
on retired EVP/GM and his “partner in crime” Butch Waugh, who
was feted with a video compilation of the many multi-genre hits to
which he’d been party. Waugh and his wife were also given an all-
Hat’s Off: Bryan Adams (l) and Brad Paisley on the Sony boat.
expense-paid trip to Italy in appreciation of his years of service to the
company. “It comes down to the music and having it played on the
radio,” Waugh said as he thanked the crowd.
Brooks & Dunn cranked up their “Honky Tonk Stomp” and “Play
Something Country” before surprise guest Bryan Adams joined them
for “Summer Of ‘69.” In fine voice, Adams played a solo acoustic
version of “Run To You,” brought Paisley up to shred on “Cuts Like
A Knife” and was graced by Underwood in the role of Tina Turner
for “It’s Only Love.” By the time the doors opened on the attendees’
watery “prison,” they were likely wishing they’d received more than a
three-hour sentence.
Know How To Interview?
New Music Nashville host Bob Guerra moderated, with Craig
Morgan, KUPL/Portland’s Rick “Bubba” Taylor, McCoy & Assoc.’s
Sharla McCoy, KYGO/Denver’s Garret Doll and After MidNite’s
Blair Garner discussing the art of the interview. Taylor offered his
secret – asking the label rep or manager something that had just
happened on the road, while Garner, Doll and Morgan advocated
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February 26, 2010
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doing as much homework as possible. McCoy reminded interviewers to
be respectful of handlers’ requests and shared stories of when she had to
“pull the plug.” Garner also quoted “one of the best interviewers there has
ever been,” Merv Griffin, whose advice for interviewing was “listen.” CMA Research Presentation
One of the day’s most anticipated panels, this session revealed that
Country radio appears to be the big beneficiary of the difficult economy.
Fan listening to Country stations was up from 6.4 to 9.9 hours per
month, with the fan base’s monthly tune-in rising from 79% to 93%.
Satellite listening to Country fell from 9% to 8%, with web streaming
holding steady at 7%. The economy has shrunk the group of core
country consumers of albums, downloads and concert tickets from 7.6%
of adults 18+ to 4.6%, but overall Country radio remains the No. 1
source and influence for artists, songs and the music industry.
Playlist Debate
Moderator Wade Jessen (Billboard), consultant Keith Hill, Republic
Nashville’s Jimmy Harnen, KFAV & KWRE/Warrenton, MO’s Mike
Thomas, WKMK/Monmouth-Ocean, NJ’s Captain Jack and WGHFM/Norfolk’s John Shomby discussed the singles charts and perceived
playlist repetition. Hill urged programmers to “speed up the train” by
moving songs up the charts faster. “The train slowed down, our ratings
slowed down,” he pointed out. He also proposed changing the charts to
monitor from 5am-7pm, Monday-Friday, with 14 spins to chart, which
was met by applause. In regards to dayparts, Harnen asked the room,
“Why do you expect my song to perform in the very category your
commercials can’t?” Shomby followed up with, “Make your stations
sound fresh. It doesn’t matter how often you play a song, as long as you
get excited about it.” Sony Luncheon
The big news was the announcement of Brooks & Dunn’s final
concert (Breaking News), but the Sony/Nashville luncheon had much
more in store. Danny Gokey opened with his single “My Best Days Are
Ahead Of Me.” He reminisced about listening to Wynonna and told the
crowd it was his choice to go country. He ended with “I Will Not Say
Goodbye,” a song he connected with after the loss of his wife.
B&D spent several minutes talking about their career following the
big announcement. Kix shared his most embarrassing moment. which
involved bringing a modified smoke machine onto their rubber-floored
stage. “I hosed the crowd, Ronnie ... but I didn’t know the smoke was
made from vegetable oil,” he said. “About the time I busted my ass I see
Ronnie on his ass with that ‘sonofabitch if I could get to you right now
I’d kill you’ look. We rolled over and crawled off stage.”
Alan Jackson likened the luncheon to his first gig in Nashville –
four hours for $25 at the Ramada Sunday brunch. “Today, I don’t even
get $25,” he quipped. He led with “Here In The Real World” before
opening the floor for requests. “Remember When,” “Livin’ On Love,”
“Good Time,” “Little Bitty,” “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” and
“Chattahoochee” all made the cut as Jackson sipped from his gallonsized, water-filled plastic milk jug. “If you look real quick in the video
for ‘Mercury Blues’ you can see the guitar player was Keith Urban,
before he was Keith Urban,” Jackson revealed. He closed with Merle
Haggard’s “Way I Am,” earning a standing ovation.
CRS Research Workshop
Jailhouse Rock: Sony/Nashville Chairman Joe Galante (r) presents
retired EVP/GM Butch Waugh (foreground, left) with a framed “Velvet
Elvis” poster superimposed with Waugh’s head following the label
group’s annual cruise Thursday evening (2/25). Waugh was celebrated
between performances, but most of the crowd had already disembarked
when this presentation was made.
Page 2
Intended to help stations implement data from the morning’s CMA
Research presentation, this panel became more of a free-ranging
discussion on the state of radio and the music business. WIVK/
Knoxville’s Mike Hammond noted that previously small things like
“giving away hamburgers” have become meaningful in a tight economy.
No Shoes Radio’s Jon Anthony agreed: “Free is the buzzword now.”
Asked by moderator David Ross (Music Row) how labels feel about
free, Lyric Street’s Kevin Herring deadpanned, “We don’t like it.” The
panel was generally encouraged that a larger percentage of country fans
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Page 3
(93%) are listening to Country radio. Consultant Joel Raab noted, “It’s
fashionable to be down on radio, but we’re here ... and we’re here [at
CRS] to make it better.”
WCRS Live
Tom T. Hall made a rare appearance, even giving up watching Gunsmoke
to headline this session. What could have been billed as “Tom T.’s Comedy
Hour” was punctuated by numerous stories and jokes. “They make you
come to Nashville, get you drunk, get you laid and lock you up in a room
and make you listen to music,” he commiserated with the audience. “I feel
your pain.” The 73-year-old played “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died,”
“Homecoming” and ended the set with “I Love,” which brought the crowd
to their feet. Easton Corbin and Wynn Varble entertained with songs
they’d written, and not. Varble recalled the day his publisher told him Kellie
Pickler had cut “Things That Never Cross A Man’s Mind”: “I told my wife
it was some feller, but then my daughter set me straight.” The duo ended
with a song Varble wrote with Joey+Rory for Blaine Larsen, who passed on
it: Corbin’s “A Little More Country Than That” earned the duo a standing
ovation.
CRS Gig Alert
WSM-AM/Nashville GM Chris Kulick wants the seminar crowd to
know he’s looking for a GSM for the station. “Proven track record and
digital knowledge a must,” he says. Contact him at 615-458-2443 or
[email protected].
The Day Ahead
Here’s an all-in look at the official CRS proceedings for Friday, Feb. 26:
8:30-9:50am
Power Breakfast: Managers Open Forum
NCC 208
9-9:50am Zero Promotional Budget = Doing More
With Nothing
Valerie Ealey (Cumulus/Nashville), Melissa Fisher
(Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and South
Central Radio), Kelly Hancock (Coupon Gal)
NCC 209-210
9-9:50am
PPM Affects Every Facet Of Our Industry, And
This Means YOU!
Scott Mahalick (KUPL/Portland), Gary Marince
(Arbitron), Charlie Cook (moderator)
NCC 204-205
10-10:50am
The Radiothon Effect: The Reality Of Radiothons
Jeff Green (Country Aircheck), Jeff Garrison (KILT/
Houston), Mike Brophey (WKLB/Boston), Rick C.
Shadyac, Jr. (ALSCAC/St. Jude), Lon Helton (moderator)
NCC 206
10-10:50am
Small Market Programming Solutions For When The
Chips Are Down
Chris Matthews (KDXY/Jonesboro), Dave Amick
(KUSO/Norfolk, NE), Rich Summers (KIZN/Boise), Jeff
Winfield (NRG Media), Clint Marsh (moderator).
NCC 209-210
11-11:50am
The Gloves Are Off: Arbitron Vs. Nielsen – Candid
Conversation On Rates And Ratings
Dr. Ed Cohen (Arbitron), Lorraine Hadfield (Nielsen),
Jess Hanson (moderator)
NCC 206
11-11:50am
The Art of Transition
RJ Curtis (Arista/Nashville), John Grady (Borman),
Todd Cassetty (Hi-Fi Fusion), Dan Halyburton and
Eric Samuels (moderators)
NCC 204-205
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Noon-1:50pm
Capitol/Nashville Lunch
Eric Church, Emily West
NCC Level 1 CMA Performance Hall
2-3:30pm
Let’s Hear It For the Brands And Industry Trends:
New Hotbeds For Marketing Dollars
Pete Keiser (Cracker Barrel), Ray Silva (Best Buy), Mike
Bauscher (Carl Black Chevrolet), Rick Murray (moderator)
NCC 208
2-3:30pm
Size Doesn’t Matter: Don’t Let Your Market Or Label Size
Determine Your Success Online
Katie Dean (UMG/Nashville), Stephen Linn (CMT), Joel
Burke (KYGO/Denver), Katie Bright (WAXX/Eau Claire)
and Jennie Smythe (moderator)
NCC 206
2-3:30pm
Radio Stars: Talent Coaching And Development
For All Day-Parts
Chris Carr (WUBE/Cincinnati), Wally (Total Axxess),
Chris Hansen (KBVB/Fargo), Brian Wright (moderator)
NCC 204-205
3-3:50pm
More Than 50 Great Ideas In Less Than 50 Minutes
Vicki Fiorelli (Clear Channel), Ken Boesen (WKIS
Miami), Gene Kuntz (WITZ & WQKZ/Jasper, IN)
NCC 204-205
4-4:50pm
Town Hall: The Industry Truth Revealed
Mike Dungan (Capitol/Nashville), John Esposito
Page 4
(Warner Music/Nashville), Larry Wilson (Alpha
Broadcasting), Scott Lindy (WUBL/Atlanta), Gretchen
Wilson, Tony Randall & Kris Rochester (moderators)
NCC 204-205
5:30-6:15pm New Faces Of Country Music Cocktail Reception
Sarah Darling Performance
NCC Level 1 Foyer
6:30-10pm New Faces Of Country Music Dinner & Show
Gloriana, Randy Houser, Love And Theft, Justin Moore,
Chris Young
NCC Level 1 CMA Performance Hall
After Hours
7pm-12am
Bridge Bar sponsored by Toolpusher/Nine North
Jason Sturgeon
Renaissance Bridge Bar
10pm-1am
“White Liar ... We’re In The Black”
Miranda Lambert’s “White Liar” No. 1 Party
Cellar One (170 2nd Ave. N.)
Invite Only
10:30pm
Guilty Pleasures Show sponsored by Digital Radio
Co-hosted by After MidNite’s Blair Garner
Various Artists
Cadillac Ranch (305 Broadway)
Flatts & Scrubs: Lyric Street’s Rascal Flatts show their appreciation for Country radio at their 10th Anniversary Party (2/24). Their acoustic set covered
songs including “Church on Cumberland Road” with Marty Raybon and a tune called “Bubba’s Girl,” a play on “Jessie’s Girl” created during their 2000 radio
tour. WQIK/Jacksonville, WTQR/Greensboro and KUBL/Salt Lake City were recognized for most airplay overall, while WCOL/Columbus, KNIX/Phoenix and
WKHX/Atlanta had the most spins on the trio’s first single, “Prayin’ For Daylight.” KBEQ/Kansas City was honored for being the first station to play their
debut single.
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