Now It’s Our Time

If you examine the past year in Country music, you can easily see that the genre is in its best position in over 10 years, maybe longer. It has evolved to the point where the appeal is reaching a broader audience, attracting fans who may not have been into this music in the past.

Case in point – CMA Fest 2023. There were 90,000-plus fans in attendance per day, up 12% from last year, with all 50 states and 51 countries represented. In addition, there was a record attendance for the nightly stadium shows. I ventured to downtown Nashville during the event, and, from my own eye, I noticed a better cross-section of people than I ever have, and I’ve witnessed about seven CMA Fest’s firsthand.

I have access to some national callout research each week for the Monday Morning Intel publication, and the positive numbers for Country music are the highest I’ve seen. Just the past week, all 50 songs surveyed have a score of 62 or more, and the highest burn score was just above five. Familiarity levels start at 84 and go up! Just recently, three songs have successfully crossed over to Pop, and two of them (Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” and Luke Combs’ “Fast Car”) cracked the Billboard Hot 100’s top 5.

The storytelling part of the genre has returned heavily, with the likes of Lainey Wilson, HARDY, Messrs. Wallen and Combs, and more. Concert tours, from stadiums to arenas to amphitheaters to festivals, draw tens of thousands. Billboard’s mid-year, all-genre touring update includes eight Country artists in the top 50!

With all the success of the genre, how can Country radio capitalize on this trend and grow the format? I have singled out five areas of attention for the format to consider staying in step and, possibly, regaining some of the ground it has lost.

1. Discover and promote emerging artists. Find unique ways to highlight this new talent, especially at the local level. Several of the biggies do this on a national scale, but the local/regional scene is a different and, possibly, lucrative community involvement for your station(s). Regardless, create those special “sections” in your programming to spotlight what’s trending.
2. Create a clear on-air “balance” with mainstream and traditional Country, and between established and new Country artists. The listeners are telling us they can handle the difference, so now it’s up to us. If you look now at the amount of multi-hit artists out there, you could see it. Thirty-three of the top 50 on Mediabase have had at least two #1 hits in the past five years.
3. Embrace digital platforms. I’m not talking about taking someone from Spotify out to lunch J, but I am referring to YOUR station’s streaming capabilities, along with utilizing socials to connect the music/artists with your listeners/fans. Pay as much attention to your station stream as you do your over-the-air product. Use a minute or two from those wasted commercial breaks to highlight some of the “newbies” on the local or national scene.
4. Something this column has repeatedly referenced – provide informative and entertaining content with respect to the music and the artists. Your talent is your human connection with your audience. A DSP has a hard time duplicating the immediacy and spontaneity of radio. Despite what you may hear, Country artists LIVE to hear their songs on the radio. Take advantage of that.
5. Listen to your audience … not what the label directs you to do (sorry, label folks!). If they are a forward-thinking label, though, they will join you in accomplishing what’s needed for your station. Keep that ear to the ground. Seek feedback and constantly monitor trends. Examples this year alone – Bailey Zimmerman, Megan Moroney and Zach Bryan just to name three.

Overall, Country radio needs to enhance and promote the growth of the genre and assist closely in its evolution. DO NOT be left behind. If you look at the above five areas of attention, NONE of them say “play it safe.” Take some chances. Create excitement for your audience. Make some noise and hop on the back of the surge.

“Taking Your Radio Presence To The Next Level. Be it an artist, radio programmer or on-air talent. Coaching and mentoring down to your foundational level”

Contact me:
John Shomby
Owner/CEO Country’s Radio Coach
jshomby@countrysradiocoach.com
757-323-1460
https://countrysradiocoach.com