You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'CRS' tag.
Dave Ramsey is an incredibly successful broadcast personality and is on over 400 radio stations. In addition, Dave is a prominent author, speaker, businessman, and culture shaper. He’s also a heck of a nice guy. I should know since my wife Amy works for him. Dave and his company do amazing things in helping people live a life of financial freedom and I’m very glad to see he is keynoting Country Radio Seminar in Nashville this February.
A few noteworthy items from Country Radio Seminar:
Only one artist made me say “WHERE?!” when a friend saw him – Michael Martin Murphy. A legendary and authentic artist. How cool to see him there and shake his hand later in the day.
I didn’t catch everything, but some of the performances I saw or music I heard knocked me out. These artists should be all over the radio if they aren’t already:
- Lady Antebellum – the next superstars.
- Darius Rucker – we are fortunate to have him in the format. What emotion and delivery.
- Randy Houser – first heard his album at last year’s CRS and still knocks me out.
- Little Big Town – they have upped their game bigtime, what a performance.
- Miranda Lambert – she fills a void and can bring it.
- Jamey Johnson – maybe a little over-hyped by the bandwagon of coolness that is Nashville, but he is worthy.
- Josh Turner – what a voice and doesn’t sound like anyone else in a format where too many guys sound the same.
- Emerson Drive – an album of great songs is on the horizon and these guys are the best at what they do.
- Joey + Rory – distinct, fun, and foundational country. “Cheater” was a hit that most missed.
- Jessica Harp – the new single is okay, but if they get this right in the studio for the rest of the project, she will knock it out of the park on the radio.
- What did I miss????
The turkey and dressing label lunch is always the best. The food that is.
Putting tech panels up against typical popular industry fodder and unimaginative entertaining fluff is not helpful for growth.
There was a time when the Bridge Bar was a great hang for industry professionals and artists. An artist could literally walk from one end to the other during the course of the night and and visit with radio on a more personal level. The non-CRS crowd, or the “townies” as I hear them called, grows every year and it is less enjoyable and useful for networking and connecting. Those connected to the people, artists, or events going on during CRS should be the only ones in the room. I don’t blame the many aspiring artists and songwriters for seeing opportunity, but why are we here again?
CRS is an amazing place for small market radio to make connections and create beneficial relationships.
Next year I hope to see more “next level” tech panels.
The 40th Country Radio Seminar started off in encouraging style with Seth Godin giving an intelligent and rousing keynote. He knows his stuff when it comes to the music and radio industries and he certainly knows how to engage in discussion about the future. Mr. Godin also has a keen skill of inciting vision in those who wish to move from the broken model and into the new world. A brilliant move by the CRS agenda committee to bring him in.
I was hopeful that spirit would continue on into the panels, but unfortunately what I witnessed only took us down familiar traveled roads and led us to a big “You are here” arrow. During the three days of CRS I heard very little discussion and insight about preparing for the changes in the years to come. Part of the problem is no one really knows what is ahead, but at least we should be having conversations about the opportunities within new creative business models. Instead I sensed just a reactionary tone.
For instance, in listening to one particular panel where the guests were talking about how 85% of country retail sales come from the big boxes like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc. and how labels and distributors are handling the ever shrinking floor and stock space at these retailers. Yes, these giants have been critical to our past success and are obviously important to our current victories, but what about five years from now? We are still living in a Wal-Mart dominated world, but what happens if Wal-Mart continues to shrink the new music space and only increase catalog? What if Wal-Mart decides they will only carry the Top 20 or 30 selling acts? What if they ultimately conclude that selling CD’s is not part of their plan any longer because they just aren’t that profitable for the space they take up?
What I really wanted to hear was a plan that does not involve CD’s, does not include Wal-Mart or Best Buy, and embraces new technology and innovative marketing. A redefinition of our industry. The same strategic thinking that Mr. Godin touched on in his keynote. Though there were good panels, I wasn’t hearing anything remotely inspiring for the future.
Some within the music industry have made strides in getting up to speed with changes and technology, but we are still only making adjustments to what is happening to us at the moment. We are not leading the way in engaging where the consumer is going and what they will want down the road. That’s what got us in trouble to begin with.
Overall I love Country Radio Seminar. Walking around seeing old friends and making new ones. Having discussions with remarkable individuals who I can learn a great deal from. Talking with people about the partnership opportunities with Compassion International and finding them excited about the possibilities. Checking out amazing artists and songwriters. It’s a great time. I simply expected more focus and vision for the future than what I encountered.
I’m hopeful things will move in the right direction with CRS, but currently the best place to engage the new world is at the Leadership Music Digital Summit being held in Nashville at the end of March. There’s no Bridge Bar, no fans clamoring in the lobby, no free shows, no dinners at The Palm, and no labels dividing up the troops. Yes, not as much fun, but a whole lot more relevant and affordable.
I would like to be relevant in the years ahead, how about you?
Country Radio Seminar is upon us again and I always look forward to a week of seeing old friends, making new ones, and coming together as an industry. We are in times of unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Will we face them head on or only discuss how bad everything is? That’s really for you to decide. I encourage you to attend the keynote with Seth Godin if you have not planned on it yet. It will be a great way to begin the week.
As for weather, it is looking pretty good. No rain or snow in the forecast thus far except for the travel home on Saturday.
For the complete Nashville weather rundown go HERE.
By the way, there is still room for anyone involved within the country music industry who would like to attend the Compassion International event tomorrow night (3/3). We are set to have a wonderful mix of artists, managers, PR, label, and radio professionals. Contact me if you are interested in finding out more about Compassion and enjoying a nice dinner.
Now that I am fully recovered and rested from Country Radio Seminar, I can get caught up on the blog and the rest of my life.
The keynote address at CRS was actually turned into a panel after the cancellation of Sean Hannity a few days before. The hot topic? Sound performance rights for music on terrestrial radio. It was a high octane discussion fueled by radio consultant Joel Raab. Unfortunately, I don’t think it went far enough into the matter and like most panel discussions, ended without any ideas toward resolution.
David Ross writes about the keynote in Music Row:
Moderator/radio consultant Joel Raab framed the session with a brief synopsis of the opposing points of view. Labels and artists want terrestrial radio to pay a sound copyright fee, something which is recognized in all but four other countries worldwide. Radio’s stance is that they expose the product and therefore already perform a service for the artists and labels, so the use is a fair exchange. Panelists included Mike Kraski of Tenacity Management, John Simpson of SoundExchange, Tom Taylor from Radio-info.com and NAB Exec. VP John David. “Radio revenues are flat,” said Taylor, “but labels are in true pain. My hunch is that this year nothing happens, but this issue won’t go away.” “I wish everyone fun at the label parties,” said David, immediately adopting an argumentative stance while intimating the labels still have lavish party budgets. “We are not impressed with the $1.25 million small station proposed exemption, either. Our intention is that the money is not going to come.”
Simpson pointed out that these artist royalties are collected overseas, but in most cases not sent to the U.S. because this country does not have a reciprocal right. SoundExchange collects performance rights in sound recordings for digital transmissions, satellite radio and cable radio. “Artists who had great records of songs they didn’t write get nothing when their music is played over and over for years,” Simpson remarked. “In some sad cases they are forced to work until they die to pay the bills.”
Kraski delivered the label point of view. “On our side it is a moral imperative,” he said. “If one side wins big while the other loses then we all fail. We need radio, and radio needs content. There has to be a middle ground.” Kraski also answered the exposure argument by saying at least 40% of radio airplay is Gold music which doesn’t need exposure and is just to the benefit of the station.
Audience questions quickly brought the emotional impact of this economic issue to a boil. Radio audience members cheered when David said, “Zero is the only acceptable number to pay.” Fortunately the crowd was small and moderator Raab wisely cut off the discussion with a fade to lunch.
Country Radio Seminar is coming up next week. Some of you radio folks are attending, but most of you are unable to make it because of budgetary reasons. For those of you in the latter category, keep coming back to “For The Record” for articles and video updates as the event kicks off on Tuesday.
I’ll try to provide you a virtual postcard from CRS 2008.
