The next time you read an article in a mainstream publication signaling the demise of terrestrial radio, send the writer a link to the Country Radio Seminar website. They won’t get it at first. But once they review the agenda, and see what’s happening in Nashville at CRS, they’ll understand why you reached out.
Radio is very much alive and well, and valued. I get tired of hearing people on the outside looking in suggest this industry is in trouble. How many businesses do you know that generate 15 billion dollars per year, and get labeled as failing? It shows how uninformed some are, and why it’s critical to share the story of our industry’s growth and success.
It didn’t take long to see how much CRS means to those who attend. The excitement, energy, and interest in the medium was high, and freezing cold temperatures weren’t going to stop folks from making the most of it. RJ Curtis and his team along with the entire Country Music and Radio industries deserve a round of applause. From start to finish, this was an exceptionally well-run production. All came together to learn, network, celebrate, and elevate the present and future of radio airplay in the Country format. There was a strong family-like, community feel to the show. John Shomby summed it perfectly, it’s Country radio’s annual reunion.
Why CRS Works
The event was a homerun because everyone wanted to be there. They didn’t need to be coerced to attend, they saw the value in being present. Learning how others are navigating issues, discovering new ideas, and challenging the status quo was available in every session. The discussions in the Omni hallways and hotel bars were fun and informative, and of course, the music was excellent. I was blown away by how many top artists performed in ballrooms, at the Ryman Auditorium, and at private and public parties. That only happens when multiple industries see value in working together to grow their business. The CRS app also made it very easy to know what was happening at all times.
In the world of sports and news/talk, the people who are the subject of conversation often have a negative view of the medium and talent. It’s fairly common to hear athletes, coaches and front office executives rip radio and television hosts for their opinions, citing the on-air talent’s lack of on the field/court experience. Political figures do the same in news.
With the Country format, it’s the opposite. Artists value radio stations and their personalities because of the role they play in airing their songs, boosting downloads, and helping sell tickets to shows. There’s a long-term appreciation for helping them get started. No matter how big an artist becomes, they and their label value the relationship with radio because they recognize it’s importance to their career and business.
Take a listen to Chase Matthew during CRS 2025. This is exactly what I’m talking about.
Performances
Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Brothers Osborne, Brad Paisley, Tyler Hubbard, LoCash, Lakeview, and many others graced stages, private events, and hotel ballrooms. The amount of talent on display was incredible. Artists were accessible in the hotel lobby and bar interacting and taking selfies with anyone who asked. I knew prior to attending that the connection between Country radio and its artists was strong. Seeing it up close though reinforced that the relationship is even stronger than I knew.
The best performance of the entire 3-days was Eric Church‘s rendition of his new song ‘Johnny‘ at the Ryman Auditorium. With a full choir supporting him, Church’s commentary prior to the first line set up the song perfectly. It was powerful, emotional, and catchy. When you can see tears in the eyes of an audience for a song that hasn’t yet received promotion, you know you’ve created something special. Click the video below to check it out.
The Beasley Media suite featured a number of excellent private performances too. Great job by Heidi Raphael and her team on creating an awesome atmosphere. I personally loved Max McNown‘s performance of ‘A Lot More Free‘. Prior to hearing him in this intimate setting, I wasn’t familiar with Max or the song. Between the mood in the room, and the vocal harmonies and harmonica, that song landed perfectly. I thought the same of Tyler Braden‘s ‘God and Guns N Roses‘ at the Warner Music luncheon. Check both of those songs out when time permits.
Personal Highlights and Key Takeaways
As much as I enjoyed consuming the music, I valued forming new relationships, reconnecting with familiar faces, hearing format leaders discuss ideas and challenges, and receiving feedback about our brand more. When you’re creating content, it’s difficult to know if it’s connecting as intended. Statistics show which material gets read and ignored, but knowing if it’s valued, requires deeper dialogue. Judging from the conversations I had, many are excited to see us covering music radio. A lot of people read my David Field column too, which thankfully everyone felt was fair. As I told those I spoke to, we’ve only scratched the surface with our brand. I’m bullish on making our content better and stronger.
I enjoyed attending a number of sessions too. Here were a few that stood out.
NuVoodoo’s Research Study: Carolyn Gilbert and Leigh Jacobs did a nice job relaying insights from a Country radio study. AM/FM radio performed strongly, but so did Spotify and YouTube. The use of video from different respondents allowed attendees to hear how listeners felt about each area of focus. Talent and program directors gained a ton of takeaways from this session.
Country Music/Radio Diversity: The opening session with Tiffany Provenzano, Sean Copeland, Madelina Edwards, Brooke Eden, and Shannon Sanders was excellent. After each shared how diversity impacted their careers, the conversation shifted to its affect on music. Sanders reminded the room that Country music is the sound of Southern culture, and the music was built for a Southern white audience, while the Blues was created for Southern Black crowds. Sanders expressed that a Contemporary Country category is needed for artists like Beyonce to avoid being forced into traditional categories, creating unnecessary negative attention on the format. He also challenged programmers to break the rules and stop programming for ratings, utilizing software like Music Master to remove archaic structures like not scheduling back-to-back songs from women or other non-white male artists.
What is ‘Mainstream’ Country?: Chuck Aly, Brian Michel, Keith Rothschild, Jeff Rizzo, Rachel Whitney, and Adam Weiser delivered a very compelling session that offered perspectives from terrestrial radio, Spotify, and record labels. Michel explained how certain songs and artists test well and produce ratings whereas others beyond the traditional scope can present challenges. Label execs shared their belief that radio sometimes bails quickly on artists that break the mold, despite those artists selling hundreds of thousands of tickets in cities where local radio support isn’t available.
CRS Honors: The way the organizers announced the Country Radio Hall of Fame inductees was classy. I also loved the recognition of all who passed during the past year, and Megan Moroney performing a song that matched the mood. Very tasteful.
Sales Ideas: 30 sales ideas in 30 minutes was led by Scott Roddy with help from John Willyard, Melissa Chase, Brian Peck, Kimo Jensen, and Brad Davidorf. The session showcased a ton of ideas and the importance of voice talent in bringing them to life creatively. Many laugh out loud moments were created as each voice talent read promos using different styles and characters.
Another strong sales session featured Ashley Morrison, Sarah Frazier, JoJo Turnbeaugh, and Andrea Burtscher. JoJo’s point about added value not being valuable if it has to be given away for free was excellent. Frazier’s idea of the ‘glitter shitter’ became the most memorable item from the entire conversation. When asked by an attendee how to overcome the objection of a business that buys on ratings, Frazier suggested asking, ‘are you trying to deliver a rating or grow a business?’ Selling concepts, ideas, and audience, not ratings was reinforced. The group then explained why the format’s audience is so valuable to clients, reminding the room that it features suburban community listeners with families, many in their prime earning years, looking to purchase homes, cars, insurance, etc..
Connections: I jammed a lot of conversations into 3+ days in Nashville. It was great to see industry friends Pat Paxton, Katie Reid, Greg Strassell, Mike Hulvey, Peter Trippi, Justin Chase, Adam Wilbur, Mike McVay, Tim Clarke, Mary Menna, Tim Satterfield, Angie Ward, Heidi Rafael, TJ Solis, Tommy Mattern, Marty Brooks, Juan Galdamez, Joel Denver, Dennis Green, Heather Cohen, Scott Roddy, Masa and Chachi from Benztown, Andrew Scaglione, Jennifer Brown, John Shomby, Chad Benson, Jared Stillman, Rachel Field, and Terry O’Donnell. Time was also spent with staff and voice talent clients Neil Wilson, Loren Raye, and Ron Harrell. New connections were made as well with Ray Mariner, Mike Gunzella, Rafaella Braun, Tim Roberts, Melissa Chase, Music Master’s Melanie Knapp and Jerry Butler, Stan Marczewski, Jason Martin, Rich O’Brien, Phyllis Stark, JoJo Turnbeaugh, Dave Bethell, Rob Koblasz, John Willyard, Steve Wall, Nate Zeitz, Rowdy Yates, Matt Cooper, Bryan ‘B-Dub’ Washington, Joel Raab, Shawn Gilbert, Rick Rooster and Chris Rollins. I also learned that Heather Ford and I went to the same high school and graduated two-years apart.
Areas of Opportunity
I was surprised that there wasn’t a lot of real time coverage from trade sites and individuals. Outlets covered the show, but saved details for the evening and/or next day. Attendees were also active on social media sharing photos, but not a lot of insights from the sessions. One could make a case there was too much happening to see it all. That’s a great problem to have.
With this being my first time attending, I wanted to see how things worked before tweaking our coverage approach. We ran newsletter ads for CRS, and created an 8-day Countdown to CRS series prior to the show. Jeff Lynn also did a story on Bobby Bones that appeared last week on our website and in our newsletter during Day 2. Looking ahead to 2026, we’ll be happy to help again, with the goal being to make our coverage even better.
One thing I wondered during the show is why events like this don’t exist for Rock/Classic Rock, AC/CHR, Urban/Hip Hop formats. There’s no shortage of passion for those forms of music, and there’s plenty of people working in radio and the music business in those areas. If someone can do for those formats what’s happening in Country music and radio, that’d be smart. Duplicating the relationship that exists between Country radio and Country music should be the goal for all formats and labels.
At Barrett Media, we host conferences for Sports and News/Talk folks. Our 2025 BSM Summit presented by Point to Point Marketing takes place May 8-9, 2025 in Chicago. I’ll be sharing details this week about a number of speakers for the event. Stay tuned.
I’ve said this before, rounding up sponsor support, and getting the right people in the room for events isn’t easy. Knowing what goes into it, I admire all who helped make the Country Radio Seminar a hit. CRS had the full support of Country radio and the Country Music industry. Folks from both sides wanted to be there, knew it was important, and valued the experience. When each are bullish on the show’s success, and working closely with the organizers of the show, it’s easy to see why it works. That’s something other formats and artists can learn from.
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Jason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
