Octoer Issue Revisiting Race In The Industry

28
©2021 Country Aircheck™ — All rights reserved. Sign up free at www.countryaircheck.com. Send news to [email protected] Revisiting Race In The Industry Last October, Country Aircheck published an in-depth discussion about race and the country business (read here) in which Warner Music Nashville Dir./National Radio Promotion James Marsh noted the tendency of interest in change to wane over time and urged a check-in after a year. Marsh, WXFL/ Florence, AL OM/PD Fletcher Brown, Back Blocks Music CEO Rakiyah Marshall and Big Loud VP/Marketing Candice Watkins gathered via Zoom last week for a follow-up discussion. A condensed version follows (read the full piece here). CA: Noted last year was the extent to which our conversation’s focus on race obscured that you are talented and hard- working executives who might prefer to use this platform to discuss the work you’re actually doing. So, let’s start there. What’s going on in your professional worlds right now? RM: Last year, I didn’t know I’d have my own company, but it’s been a good ride. I really love and am excited about the creatives I work with. Songwriter Blake Pendergrass is knocking down cuts every single day. Lily Rose is with Republic and Big Loud, and she’s exceeding expectations – not just by her music, but by creating representation for the LGBTQ community in the country genre. I’m really proud to represent her. And Ashley Cooke – still independent – is my passion project. JM: Working with all three radio and streaming teams is great, and I’m more comfortable with it all the time. (continued on page 16) Candice Candice Watkins Watkins James Marsh James Marsh Fletcher Brown Fletcher Brown Rakiyah Rakiyah Marshall Marshall October 11, 2021, Issue 777 NSHoF: Kent Blazy Spotlighting individual inductees leading up to the Nov. 1 50/51 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala continues with Kent Blazy. His cuts include Garth Brooks’ “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” “Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til The Sun Comes Up),” “Somewhere Other Than The Night” and “It’s Midnight Cinderella;” Diamond Rio’s “That’s What I Get For Lovin’ You;” and Chris Young’s “Getting’ You Home (The Black Dress Song).” Cents And Sensibility: Riser House/Columbia’s Mitchell Tenpenny raises $32,500 for his 10Penny Fund last night (10/10) at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Pictured (l-r) are the label’s Meghan Reich, Lauren Wilson, Jessica Valiyi and Shane Allen, Red Light’s Kristen Dowling, the label’s Jennifer Way, Tenpenny and the label’s Nicole Marinake, Lyndsay Church and Randy Goodman. Kent Blazy Kent Blazy

Transcript of Octoer Issue Revisiting Race In The Industry

© 2 0 2 1 Co u n t r y A i rc h e c k ™ — A l l r i g ht s re s e r ve d. S i gn u p f re e at w w w. co u nt r ya i rc h e c k . co m . S e n d n e ws to n e ws @ co u nt r ya i rc h e c k . co m

Revisiting Race In The Industry Last October, Country Aircheck published an in-depth discussion about race and the country business (read here) in which Warner Music Nashville Dir./National Radio Promotion James Marsh noted the tendency of interest in change to wane over time and urged a check-in after a year. Marsh, WXFL/Florence, AL OM/PD Fletcher Brown, Back Blocks Music CEO Rakiyah Marshall and Big Loud VP/Marketing Candice Watkins gathered via Zoom last week for a follow-up discussion. A condensed version follows (read the full piece here). CA: Noted last year was the extent to which our conversation’s focus on race obscured that you are

talented and hard-working executives who might prefer to use this platform to discuss the work you’re actually doing. So, let’s start there. What’s going on in your professional worlds right now? RM: Last year, I didn’t know I’d have my own company, but it’s been a good ride. I really love and am excited about the creatives I work with. Songwriter Blake Pendergrass is knocking down cuts every single day. Lily Rose is with Republic

and Big Loud, and she’s exceeding expectations – not just by her music, but by creating representation for the LGBTQ community in the country genre. I’m really proud to represent her. And Ashley Cooke – still independent – is my passion project. JM: Working with all three radio and streaming teams is great, and I’m more comfortable with it all the time.

(continued on page 16)

CandiceCandiceWatkinsWatkins

James MarshJames MarshFletcher BrownFletcher Brown

RakiyahRakiyahMarshallMarshall

October 11, 2021, Issue 777

NSHoF: Kent Blazy Spotlighting individual inductees leading up to the Nov. 1 50/51 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala continues with Kent Blazy. His cuts include Garth Brooks’ “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” “Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til The Sun Comes Up),” “Somewhere Other Than The Night” and “It’s Midnight Cinderella;” Diamond Rio’s “That’s What I Get For Lovin’ You;” and Chris Young’s “Getting’ You Home (The Black Dress Song).”

Cents And Sensibility: Riser House/Columbia’s Mitchell Tenpenny raises $32,500 for his 10Penny Fund last night (10/10) at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Pictured (l-r) are the label’s Meghan Reich, Lauren Wilson, Jessica Valiyi and Shane Allen, Red Light’s Kristen Dowling, the label’s Jennifer Way, Tenpenny and the label’s Nicole Marinake, Lyndsay Church and Randy Goodman.

Kent BlazyKent Blazy

Page 3October 11, 2021

©2021 Countr y Aircheck™ — Al l r ights reser ved. S ign up f ree at w w w.countr yaircheck .com. Send news to news@countr yaircheck .com

When I was a kid, I wrote poetry and eventually got published in the high school newspaper. I got a guitar and thought maybe I can turn those into songs. That first instrument led to a lifelong love of old guitars. I found an old Martin on my birthday about five years ago that belonged to a woman named Olive Gail. Her name was on the headstock All these songs just fell out of it; I ended up writing a whole album. I’m always on the lookout for a guitar that will sing its songs to me. My heroes were guys like Merle Haggard, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan – experts at telling people’s stories. Turning your or someone else’s life experience into a universal truth is a special skill. My transistor radio shaped me, too. As a kid, I could listen to everything from Tammy Wynette and Roger Miller to the Beatles, Motown and Frank Sinatra. That broad range has given me a commercial sensibility. I know what a radio hit sounds like. I’m from Kentucky and had played in a band with Exile’s Sonny LeMaire, who introduced me to the late Mark Gray, who was in Exile at the time. I played some of my stuff for them, and they told me I needed to move to Nashville. I did in 1980 – knocking on doors until I landed a job with a publisher making tape copies and playing on demo sessions. In those days, you could pretty much walk into any door on Music Row. You’d just see Jerry Reed or Chet Atkins walking down the street. It was magic, and I was hooked. I can’t believe I’ve been here this long. Bob Doyle had a demo singer he wanted to meet. I loved Garth Brooks’ voice as soon as I heard it. The first thing we wrote was “If Tomorrow Never Comes.” I remember thinking, “This kid’s 25 going on 50!” He had a maturity about his writing, and we became fast friends. These days, you might have a No. 1 with someone and never hear from them again, but back then, I was lucky to form a great partnership and friendship. When Garth and I started “It’s Midnight Cinderella,” we were

just writing a funny song for his kids. We were working with the late Kim Williams and got hung up trying to create some kind of nursery rhyme, so I rented and watched Cinderella. I never dreamed we’d arrive at a song, let alone one leaning toward a more adult play on the theme. And I certainly didn’t expect it to become a radio single! Writers can get locked into a four-chord progression, but I’ve played in rock, country, jazz and bluegrass bands, and I bring all that to the table. Crafting a song is about finding a great melody and the right chord changes paired with a meaningful story. Not all of those can be told in three minutes, but when you find one that is, magic can happen. Sometimes that puts me more in the Americana vein these days, but that’s okay. Music is an evolution, and I’ll just keep doing what I do as long as I’m allowed. [NSHoF Exec. Dir.] Mark Ford and Garth called me on Zoom about putting together a benefit show for the Hall. They threw out a date, but I already had plans for that weekend. Garth says, “Well, that’s all bull anyway. I’m really calling to tell you you’re going into the Hall of Fame.” I was stunned. I don’t think they expected me to start crying the way I did! COVID-19 kept us from doing the ceremony last year, but I’m so honored to be going in with this large group of two classes. –Monta Vaden

NSHoF: Buddy Cannon Spotlighting individual inductees leading up to the Nov. 1 50/51 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala continues with Buddy Cannon. The noted producer of albums by Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesney, Alison Krauss, David Lee Murphy and Reba McEntire, among others, has written songs including Vern

Buddy CannonBuddy Cannon

Page 5October 11, 2021

©2021 Countr y Aircheck™ — Al l r ights reser ved. S ign up f ree at w w w.countr yaircheck .com. Send news to news@countr yaircheck .com

Gosdin’s “Set ‘Em Up Joe” and “Dream Of Me,” George Strait’s “I’ve Come To Expect It Of You” and “Give It Away,” and Mel Tillis’ “I Believe In You.” When I started in little bands around home, playing and writing was all the same thing. I tried my hand at writing a song when I was 12 or 13 but didn’t think about it being something I wanted to do; I just wanted to play guitar. The first handful of good songs I wrote were with Gene Dunlap. We were in Bob Luman’s band and roommates on the road. When you’re out 150-200 days a year, you get to know people, and we started writing all the time. Some of those songs ended up being the first serious cuts I ever had. When I first encountered Mel Tillis, it was a couple days after he won CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1976. He put four of my songs on the record he was working on at that time and signed me to a publishing deal the same week. None were singles, but it was still a really big deal. Mel was one of the greatest songwriters Nashville has ever known, so for him to validate me like that when I was still just doing it for fun ... I guess he saw something I didn’t know was there. Mel had a big hit on my song “I Believe In You.” I was playing bass in his band, so we were playing it every night. The song is tailor made for orchestration, and we did several gigs with a 70- or 80-piece symphony orchestra behind us. That was really fun. George Strait had a hit with “I’ve Come To Expect It Of You.” I was living in Kingston Springs, and the first time I heard it on the radio, Carl P. Mayfield played it in afternoon drive as I was heading home. That was super exciting. By now, Willie Nelson and I have written 40 songs together, and it’s all been by text message. We’ve still never sat down across from each other in a room with guitars. We get the lyrics the way we want, then sketch out a melody. If he likes it, he cuts it. Every time I write a song, it feels weird. You start out with nothing and, if you’re having a good day, you end up with something inspiring. It’s hard to explain. I don’t think every song I write is great. I’ve got a lot of songs I hope nobody ever hears. But I had to write all the junk to get to the good ones. When Vern Gosdin got signed to Columbia, he, Hank Cochran, Dean Dillon and I would go to a cabin Hank had on the Little Pigeon River outside Gatlinburg. It was an ideal place to write songs. The river was loud, and you had to talk loudly to hear each other on the porch. We wrote “Set ‘Em Up Joe” and half the Chiseled In Stone album there in a two- or three-day period. We’d go up there, spend a day or two, get out of control and write songs. We’d stay until we were back in semi-control, and then we’d come home.

An Off The Record Conversation with Reviver’s Brooke Moriber: Spending more time outdoors is something I started and will continue after the past year. In particular, taking my fit-ness routine outside has been an awesome adjustment for me since there isn’t always a gym around when you are traveling or touring. Recently, I put out a weekly cover series on Instagram called If It Ain’t Brooke. It’s been fun to share my favorite songs by the artists that inspire me and a great way to connect with fans. I’ve incorporated it into a playlist on Spotify as well, and it’s been a cool way to connect across platforms. I’m also planning a promotional pop-up series to promote my upcoming track “This Town Made Us” where I will be posting on my socials the locations where I’ll be playing around my two hometowns (Nashville and New York) looking to meet some fans and get to know everyone. I grew up listening to Z100 [Top 40 WHTZ/New York], but these days my car radio is firmly set to New York’s Country 94.7 [WNSH/New York] and Nashville’s 97.9 [WSIX/Nashville]. The first time I heard myself on the radio, I was cooking dinner with the Sonos blasting and thought it was picking up a track from my personal library when my song “Steal The Thunder” started playing. I realized it was on SiriusXM when the announcer came on right after. I promptly danced around the house with my rabbit, Sherlock. I’m so excited to share my single, “This Town Made Us,” was released Oct. 8. I wrote this song for my two hometowns and for anyone from anywhere who takes pride in where they come from. It’s a song about resilience, written in the aftermath of the tornado that ripped through Nashville and in the beginning of the pandemic when New York City’s hospitals were overrun. It’s an anthem for the two towns that have shaped me and continue to inspire me. I wish I’d written “The House That Built Me.” I always dream about going back to the home I grew up in. The first time I heard that song it made me cry. It still does. I did an a cappella cover of it on my Instagram cover series before moving a few months ago. You can check out the whole series on my page. Whenever Lainey Wilson’s “Things A Man Oughta Know” comes on, I’m like yes! I know a few things a man oughta know! I am drawn to any song by and about strong women. Lainey gets the message across so well in a way where it’s also a song about a relationship. I’m just obsessed with it. I’m currently bingeing The Haunting of Bly Manor. I’m a sucker for ghost stories.

OFF THE RECORD

BROOKE MORIBER

Page 12October 11, 2021

©2021 Countr y Aircheck™ — Al l r ights reser ved. S ign up f ree at w w w.countr yaircheck .com. Send news to news@countr yaircheck .com

Mark Ford from the Hall of Fame called to tell me about the induction. It’s a pretty humbling event. That’s the kind of thing you might sit around and daydream about but don’t think it’s anything more than that. Then you wake up one day and it’s happened. I was sort of speechless. –Chuck Aly

Chart Chat Congratulations to Lee Brice, RJ Meacham, Mike Rogers and the Curb promotion team on taking “Memory I Don’t Mess With” to the top of the chart. This is Brice’s ninth overall and fourth consecutive No. 1. Songwriters are Billy Montana, Brian Davis and Brice. And kudos to Bobby Young and the Capitol crew on scoring 51 adds on Luke Bryan’s “Up.” It becomes his 22nd release to top the CA/MB Add Board.

News & Notes Cumulus SVP/Technology & Operations Conrad Trautmann has been elevated to Chief Technology Officer reporting to Pres./CEO Mary Berner. Black River’s Kelsea Ballerini will release Feel Your Way Through, her debut poetry collection, Nov. 16 via Ballentine Hardcover. Details and preorders here. Lauren Akins, wife of Valory’s Thomas Rhett, has launched season two of her Live In Love With Lauren Akins podcast via the That Sounds Fun Podcast Network. Watch the trailer here. Jewelry Television (JTV) has partnered with the CMA Foundation and the Opry Trust Fund for a six-week fundraising effort, Back The Beat, to raise money for both organizations.

Lee BriceLee Brice

Details here. Rosanne Cash has joined NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education & Human Development as the 2021-2022 NYU/Americana Artist-In-Residence. Cash will work closely with NYU student through a variety of lectures, workshops and classroom visits throughout the school year. Chicago’s Museum Of Broadcast Communications will open a new exhibit, “A Century Of Radio,” Oct. 28. The feature will be on display through Summer 2022. Buffalo Broadcasting, LLC has closed on the sale of Country KSYC/Yreka, CA to Southern Oregon University and Jefferson Public Radio; the station went silent Sept. 30. Cowley County Broadcasting, Inc. is selling Country KSOK/Winfield, KS to Doxa Wave, LLC for $275,000 in a deal that includes Classic Hits KSOK-AM/Arkansas City, KS and translators. The CMA Foundation and Opry Trust Fund have partnered with jewelry retailer and network JTV on a six-week-long fundraiser; shop here. The Independent Broadcasters Association (IBA) is offering a revenue opportunity for its members through Auddia, which will allow the sale of audio ad databases for 50 cents per ad, as well as $800 per radio station for six months of real-time audio feeds synced to metadata. Sign up for Thursday’s presentation here.

The Week’s Top Stories Full coverage at countryaircheck.com.• Check out Country Aircheck’s CMA Voter’s Guide here. • Country Aircheck Weekly examined the recent success of some gold-leaning Classic Country stations and recapped the Kane Brown tour launch last week (10/4) here.

Page 16October 11, 2021

I’m taking on more responsibility, helping Kristen Williams and Tom Martens – and Espo is leaning on me, as well. Then there’s

what we’re talking about here – the diversity and inclusion task force at Warner that is doing important work, too. Fletch, what have you been focused on, aside from celebrating the station’s recent CMA nomination? FB: Thank you very much. We stay as locally focused as possible and are currently working on a benefit with Metallica’s foundation. We also tragically lost a police officer last week who had been through the station many times with a program he ran for at-risk kids. Being on the air with our listeners before they laid him to rest – those are the moments that mean the most as a radio professional. CW: Big Loud has a lot of great new music I’m very excited about. We’ve had some groundbreaking signings this year. I’m really looking forward to developing those acts and getting them to the next level. To James’ point on the D&I side, I’m still excited about looking for positive ways to help our industry within my realm of influence – coworkers and artists. Great to hear. So ... a year later, how are we doing? Has the predicted drain of energy and focus happened? JM: There’s always an ebb and flow, as we discussed. Everybody comes out, guns-a-blazing – no pun intended. Everyone is overreacting, then we’re peaking, then you realize everybody –

©2021 Countr y Aircheck™ — Al l r ights reser ved. S ign up f ree at w w w.countr yaircheck .com. Send news to news@countr yaircheck .com

• WSM-AM/Nashville’s J. Patrick Tinnell was elevated to GM/Content Dir. (CAT 10/8)• Tim Clarke was elevated to Audacy SVP/Digital Audio Content. (CAT 10/7)• Mike Kasper is joining WPGB/Pittsburgh as PD/afternoon host. (CAT 10/6)• Townsquare/Portsmouth, NH Dir./Content Sarah Sullivan resigned. (CAT 10/5)• Michelle Tigard Kammerer is joining Amazon Music as Head/Country Music. (CAT 10/4)• Kincaid & Dallas will be syndicated by Westwood One across 25 stations beginning Oct. 11. (BN 10/1)• Sean Copeland was upped to Dir./Music Programming and WLHK PD. (CAT 10/4)• Chronicle: Ron “Snake” Reynolds, Dwight “Hollywood” Harrison, Dale Weber.

(continued from page 1)Revisiting Race In The Industry

Broken Bow Records VP/Promotion Lee Adams reflects on 20 years with the label: When Atlantic Records closed in 2001, Jon Loba, Craig Morgan and I wanted to find a record label that would take all three of us. That label turned out to be Broken Bow Records. Craig and I were reluctant, but Jon convinced us we could have success. After spending a couple of months working as an indie for BBR, I signed on full-time in October. I lost count of how many times people said we “would never” – we would never have a hit, we would never break a new artist, we would never sell gold, we would never sell platinum, we would never have No. 1s, we would never win awards. The list was endless. I remember Jon getting frustrated that we weren’t realizing the success we’d had at Atlantic. I told him we had to celebrate every small milestone and treat them like they were a huge success. We celebrated our first Top 50, 40, 35 and so on until we finally had our first Top 10 with “Almost Home.” We were fortunate most of the radio programmers looked past BBR’s indie status, and out of respect for our past relationships gave our promo reps and Craig a chance. They also recognized an amazing song, and a team who simply refused to give up. CRS 2005 is a stand-out moment as we introduced Jason Aldean as our newest artist. He performed full band in front of a room full of programmers — in the middle of the day — all very attentive. You could feel the excitement building, and it was one of those moments when you knew you were at the start of something big. We came out of seminar with a massive buzz on Jason, and he became the artist programmers embraced. Jason exploded on the scene with “Hicktown.” We’d already celebrated a five-

week No. 1 with Craig Morgan’s “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” and now we had a second artist climbing the charts. Jason broke through all of those “would never” statements. He went gold, platinum, then won ACM New Male Vocalist, ACM Male Vocalist, is a three-time winner of the ACM Entertainer of the Year and Artist of the Decade, as well as numerous other awards. Jason took BBR to a level even we couldn’t have imagined. As I celebrate my 20th year with the Broken Bow promotion team, it’s been one of our best chart years ever. Our radio partners have embraced every song we released this year. We will soon celebrate Jason’s 26th No. 1, Dustin [Lynch] is on his way to his eighth No. 1, Chase Rice just had the biggest hit of his career and Lainey Wilson broke through to celebrate her first No. 1. I couldn’t have written a better playbook for this year if I had tried. In my career with BBR, I’ve had the honor of working 37 No. 1 singles, as well as multiple Top 5 and Top 10 songs. Back in 2001, many people told me it would be the end of my career if I took this job.

Instead, it turned out to be the best decision I’ve made in my 35+ years with radio and records. I look forward to our future, as I only see more success and monumental moments. Congratulate Adams here.

WITH ... LEE ADAMSOff The Record

Day Team Believer: Jon Loba, Adams, Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, Dawn Ferris, Layna Bunt and Scotty O’Brien (l-r).

Gold Diggers: Adams with Craig Morgan (c) and Jon Loba. Tri Hards: Adams with Jason Aldean.

Page 18October 11, 2021

friends and coworkers – is starting to get tired of it. There’s a push-back. Then the election cycle happens and the anger kicks back up a bit. For the business, it may be unfair to expect dramatic change in a pandemic. Still, the business isn’t really any more diverse. FB: James nailed it. The pandemic has changed the way we do everything and, while diversity and inclusion have been at the forefront of a lot of conversations, there hasn’t been much action. Where do you create new initiatives when you’re relearning how to do your job in this new reality? RM: Where I don’t see much change is in messaging and overcorrection. The election somehow made inclusion political. And because opportunities are given to someone who is Black, we think things have changed – we give someone a playlist cover, so racism is over. Nothing has changed. We move on thinking things are getting better, but something comes along and quickly reminds me that it hasn’t. Then I’m annoyed again. CW: I agree with what everyone has said. To Rakiyah’s point, I am appreciative of the action that’s been taken so far – even the small steps. But we’re very much stuck in the projection of “we’re moving forward,” which paints a false reality. We are playing semantics with the press. Do we have a messaging problem in allowing DEI to be seen as something political or to the side of what we all do for a living, rather than sound business strategy for growing the fanbase and talent pool? FB: There’s a clip of Morgan Freeman people keep trotting out where he answers a question about racism saying, “Quit talking about it. That’ll solve it.” His intention is being taken very much out of context. Like my father, he comes from a generation that remembers when the rules were blatantly different. Freeman also understands that change happens when you just do it. You don’t need a press release. JM: There’s a lot of anger in that statement, too, but in a Morgan Freeman cool way of delivering it. Funny you mention that, because a “look what I did” moment was about to happen in our building before I said, “Don’t do that. When people see it, they’ll get it.” When you put it out there, it’s like saying, “Here’s the slaves on the blocks.” Don’t do that. Later that day, I got four phone calls from corporate people going, “Thank you for stopping that train. We all had great intentions, but ...” Just be cool. To the question, the messaging from country music is sometimes wrong. When I watched the ACMs with Mickey Guyton, I was thinking hosts get three or four songs. Maybe a duet. Was it just me, but why didn’t Mickey get the duet? Why did Miranda Lambert get what seemed like five performances? RM: So many. I literally started a tally. On the other end of the spectrum, what are your thoughts on the Morgan Wallen incident and its aftermath? JM: It’s not my choice, but I get how the kids talk today. Somebody used the word “overcorrecting” earlier. People blew it out of proportion – made it a bigger deal than it really was. And I thought radio flat-out lied about pulling Morgan off the air. If you look at the spins, that lasted maybe a day. Why do all that? People make mistakes all the time, and we allow them to come back from it. That’s life. Instead, we took advantage of a moment in that raising-our-hand “look at what we’re doing” kind of way and went too far. Do you pull it off the air, Fletch? FB: I didn’t intend to. Our management team and ownership asked me if I was going to, and I said, “No, because none of my audience cares. My job isn’t to tell these people how they should feel about anything. My job is to make sure you have them as audience for your advertisers. And they don’t care. If I pull him, they will suddenly care, and then they’ll go away.” They ultimately decided to come off it. CW: But the audience should never dictate what our business morals are. Accountability is always good, no matter what our audience thinks about it, but I cannot get out of my head what

James said about radio lying. That is performance, otherwise interpreted as fake. FB: Radio lied, because radio reacted super fast. It was immediate. Like Candice, I believe a discussion can happen, but you make that harder when you shoot first – metaphorically speaking – and then, “Let’s talk.” Better to talk before deciding how to proceed. I am 100% in favor of accountability, but I have a problem with scorched earth. If you leave no path for redemption, why bother asking for accountability? RM: I’m obviously a bit biased in this area, and what I had was disappointment in that happening rather than seeing a big, problematic issue. And the industry was able to pick Morgan as a scapegoat and overcorrect. “This is our moment; let’s make immediate change.” Then, it’s frustrating for anyone in that camp to attempt a fix or change in response to something that didn’t even bother a lot of people. What I’m hearing as a theme might be simplified to, do the work – actual non-performative work – and do the job each of us has in country music. Will the industry be able to find a more productive approach? RM: My answer is no, because there’s an audience we’re feeding who I don’t think will change. But I never say never, and change takes a long time. I don’t have a lot of hope, but I’m going to keep loving country music, doing my job, doing my best as a Black woman and hoping everyone joins that party. CW: My gut answer is, I don’t know. Fletcher, Rakiyah, James and I – we’re involved, but we’re not the ones responsible for the work that leads to true change. It’s a lot of other people who have been here for decades, and I don’t know if they will do it. Not a pretty answer, but my honest one. JM: There are powerful people of color who could have stood next to Morgan and said, “Hey, man, I support you, but there are words you can’t use and things you can’t do. Let’s go to the south side of town, grab some students and take them to a studio. Let’s open doors for more artists of color.” But that’s not happening. FB: It’s entirely up to us as individuals. There’s a basic psychological defense mechanism when hearing someone else’s struggle to separate yourself from that. Like when women talk about aggressive male behavior, and as a man, I reflexively say, “Not me!” She’s not talking about me! So, when white friends or colleagues ask me questions about my experience, I say, “I can tell you what I think you might understand. My question is, ‘Are you going to listen?’” You mentioned our CMA nomination earlier and, in the event the station wins, there will be some who say we got it because I am Black. Anything I achieve has that asterisk, and I have to live with that. JM: I don’t know why we’ve done these interviews – maybe I feel like I have to. But to Fletch’s point, we all had these jobs before this shit went down. If people are just now seeing our faces and questioning how we got these gigs, we’ve been here. Sucks I even have to say it, but we’ve been killing it in the game for a long time. Reach Brown here, Marsh here, Marshall here and Watkins here.

–Chuck Aly

Lon Helton, [email protected] Aly, [email protected]

Caitlin DeForest, [email protected] Vaden, [email protected]

Chris Huff, [email protected]

©2021 Countr y Aircheck™ — Al l r ights reser ved. S ign up f ree at w w w.countr yaircheck .com. Send news to news@countr yaircheck .com

October 11, 2021 SEEK & EMPLOY

© 2 0 2 1 Co u n t r y A i rc h e c k ™ — A l l r i g ht s re s e r ve d. S i gn u p f re e at w w w. co u nt r ya i rc h e c k . co m . S e n d n e ws to n e ws @ co u nt r ya i rc h e c k . co m

MIDWEST

Summit KFDI/Wichita OM Justin Case is searching for a morning co-host. See the complete posting here; send résumés and airchecks to Case here. Midwest WNCY/Appleton-Oshkosh, WI Brand Mgr. Dan Stone is searching for a midday personality. Send résumés, references and airchecks to him here. Alpha KZEN/Columbus, NE Dir./Content David Gustafson is looking for a morning host. See the complete job description and apply here; reach Gustafson here. Titan KBKB/Burlington, IA PD Wyatt Reed is searching for an afternoon personality. Send résumés and airchecks here. Midwest/Peoria, IL VP/MM Mike Wild is looking to add an OM for the cluster that includes Country WXCL. See the complete job description here; send résumés, cover letters and airchecks to Wild here. Hubbard KKWS/Wadena, MN GM Matt Senne is searching for a PD/morning host. See the complete job description here; send résumés and airchecks to Senne here. Cumulus WDRQ/Detroit Dir./FM Programming David Corey is seeking an afternoon personality. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Townsquare KOEL/Waterloo, IA Dir./Content Johnny Marks is searching for a Brand Mgr./morning host. See the complete job description and apply here; send résumés and airchecks to Marks here. White River WKKG/Columbus, IN Coord./Programming Brad Jackson is seeking a PD/morning host. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Zimmer KATI/Jefferson City, MO OM Jeremy Washington is looking for a PD/morning co-host. Send résumés, social media samples and airchecks to him here. Audacy/Minneapolis is searching for an SVP/MM for the cluster that includes KMNB to succeed Shannon Knoepke. Apply here. Leighton/St. Cloud, MN Mgr./HR Brian Zenzen is seeking an OM & Country KZPK PD. Complete job description here; send résumés and airchecks here. Townsquare SVP/Content & Programming Kurt Johnson is looking for a Dir./Content for the Lansing, MI cluster that includes Country WITL. Send résumés and airchecks here. Saga Group PD Scott Chase is searching for a PD/on-air personality to join Country WIXY & Classic Country WYXY/Champaign, IL. Send résumés and airchecks here. Cumulus/Des Moines, IA VP/MM Jack Taddeo is seeking a Mgr./Promotions for the cluster that includes Country KHKI & Classic Country KJJY. Complete job description and application here.

NORTHEAST

iHeartMedia/Washington, DC RSVPP Jeff Kapugi is looking for a Cluster APD to add to the programming team. Oversight includes Country WMZQ. Apply here. Townsquare SVP/Content & Programming Kurt Johnson is seeking a Dir./Content & Country WYRK/Buffalo Brand Mgr. to succeed Chris Crowley. Send résumés here.

SOUTHEAST

Golden Isle/Brunswick, GA Dir./Programming Mark “The Shark” Ediss is seeking a successor for outgoing OM/PD/on-air talent Paul Andresen. The cluster includes Country WRJY. Duties will include on-air, production, promotions, sales and handling technical issues. Send résumés and airchecks to Ediss here. Summit/Louisville OM Cagle is seeking a full-time midday personality with at least two years of on-air experience; PPM experience is a plus. Candidate should have an engaging presence, strong social media and tech skills, production and digital editing chops and the ability to communicate in an authentic way. Send résumés and airchecks to Cagle here. Summit SVP/Programming Randy Chase is seeking an OM/PD for the Knoxville cluster, including Country WCYQ, to succeed Kevin “Gravy” Canup. Candidates should have on-air and programming chops and be able to communicate effectively with both staff and leadership. Send résumés and airchecks here. Mel Wheeler WSLC/Roanoke, VA Dir./HR Cheryl Skinner is seeking a midday personality. Send résumés and airchecks to her here. Triangle Marketing Associates/Smithfield, NC GM Rick Heilmann is searching for an OM/PD/morning host for Country WKJO. See the complete job description here; send résumés and airchecks here. iHeartMedia EVP/Country Programming Strategy Rod Phillips and RSVP Chadwick “AJ” Hausknecht are looking for a PD/on-air talent to join WKKT/Charlotte. See the complete job description and apply here; reach Phillips here and Hausknecht here. Gulf South WTVY/Dothan, AL GM Bryan Holladay is seeking an OM/PD/morning co-host who can also handle PD duties for Top 40 sister WKMX. Send résumés and airchecks here. Cumulus/Pensacola VP/MM Gary Mertins is searching for an OM & Country WXBM PD. Complete job description and application here. Renda/Jacksonville GM Bill Berry is looking for an OM & Country WGNE PD. Send résumés and airchecks to him here.

SOUTHWEST

Townsquare KQBR/Lubbock, TX Brand Mgr. Lance Ballance is seeking an APD/on-air personality to succeed Jan Miller. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Brazos Valley KORA/Bryan-College Station, TX VP/GM John Seigler is searching for an MD/morning co-host with an understanding of Texas country. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Alpha/Amarillo, TX is seeking a Market Mgr. for the cluster that includes Country KGNC. See the complete job description and apply here. Cumulus VP/Country Charlie Cook is looking for a PD/midday personality for KAYD/Beaumont, TX. See the complete job description and apply here. Cox KCYY/San Antonio PD Christi Brooks is searching for a morning co-host to join incumbent Beth Chandler. Apply here.

WEST COAST

Frontier/Juneau, AK GM Cherie Curry is seeking an OM/PD/on-air talent for the cluster

that includes Country KTKU. Send résumés with references and an aircheck to Curry here. Beasley/Las Vegas VP/MM Peter Burton is searching for Cat Thomas’ successor to handle OM & Urban AC KOAS PD duties. Details here; send cover letters and résumés to Burton here. Cumulus KBUL/Reno, NV PD/morning host Bob Richards is seeking a full-time morning co-host to join The Moo Crew. Complete job description here; send résumés and airchecks to Richards here. Marker KPLM/Palm Springs, CA PD Kory James is looking for an afternoon personality. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Momentum KJUG/Visalia, CA PD Rik McNeil is searching for a morning show with three-to-five years of experience. See the complete job description and apply here; submit résumés, social media profiles, mobile content, examples of how you have executed winning strategies to move morning ratings forward and an aircheck to McNeil here. Leighton KYCK/Grand Forks, ND OM Jarrod Thomas is seeking a station PD and morning team. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. Alpha/Portland is searching for a full-time Dir./Marketing for the cluster that includes Country KUPL. Apply here. Beasley/Las Vegas VP/MM Peter Burton is seeking a full-time Dir./Promotions for the cluster that includes Country KCYE. Send cover letters and résumés to him here. Cumulus KATM/Modesto, CA PD Andy Winford is looking for a third-mic morning co-host to join DJ Walker and Jaimee Lee. See complete job description and apply here. Hubbard/Seattle OM & Country KNUC PD Scott Mahalick is searching for an APD/MD/midday personality. Apply here.

OTHER

Townsquare Country Format Lead Doug Montgomery has immediate openings for PDs and morning talent. Send résumés and airchecks to him here. iHeartMedia EVP/Country Programming Strategy Rod Phillips has current openings for “great PDs in various size markets.” Send résumés and airchecks to him here. River House Artists is looking to add a Dir./Promotion with five-to-10 years of experience who is willing to travel and has a background in radio promotion within a record company environment. Send résumés to Exec. Asst. Callie Waterman here. Pandora is adding a Dir./Country Programming to manage the programming and curation of country music destinations on the platform. See the complete job description and apply here. Songfluencer is looking to fill three full-time, hybrid positions: Mgr./Campaign, Coord./Creative and Coord./Outreach. See complete job descriptions here; send résumés here. Townsquare Country Format Lead Doug Montgomery is searching for an Exec. Prod./Content Prod./on-air talent to join nationally syndicated Taste Of Country Nights. Complete job description and application here.

AVAILABLE JOBS

October 11, 2021 SEEK & EMPLOY

© 2 0 2 1 Co u n t r y A i rc h e c k ™ — A l l r i g ht s re s e r ve d. S i gn u p f re e at w w w. co u nt r ya i rc h e c k . co m . S e n d n e ws to n e ws @ co u nt r ya i rc h e c k . co m

SEEKING JOBS•Cactus JackFormer Entercom/PhoenixDir./[email protected]

•Tony KellyFormer WUSN/Chicagomorning [email protected]

•Greg ColeFormer WKCQ/Saginaw, MI OM/[email protected]

•Jonathan WestFormer WKTI/Milwaukee [email protected]

•Marc Lavik (aka Dave Marcus)Former on-air [email protected]

•Cory MikhalsFormer KIZN/Boise morning [email protected]

•”Big” John HortonFormer KFSA/Ft. Smith, AR [email protected]

•Kris RichardsFormer WKJO/Smithfield, NC [email protected]

•AJ McCloudFormer WWFF/Huntsville, AL APD/[email protected]

•Mac DanielsFormer KPLX & KSCS/Dallas [email protected]

•Brittany TullyFormer WYNK/Baton Rouge [email protected]

•Bill HickokFormer KBMR/Bismark, ND [email protected]

•Amy NicFormer WAMZ/Louisville [email protected]

•Ron “Keyes” StevensFormer WQRB/Eau Claire, WI afternoon [email protected]

•Scott DavidsonFormer WHOF-HD2/Canton, OH PD/on-air [email protected]

•Trace HamiltonFormer WEBG/Chicago night [email protected]

•Daryl Thomas LedyardFormer WBBS/Syracuse on-air [email protected]

•Ryan McCallFormer WGLR/Platteville, WI MD/[email protected]

•David DeanFormer KXDD/Yakima, WA [email protected]

•Brian “Wookie” KostekFormer WDSY/Pittsburgh APD/MD/[email protected]

•Kim BrixtonFormer WNWN/Battle Creek, MI mornings/[email protected]

•Mark McKayFormer Riser House Dir./ Southeast [email protected]

•Tim TaylorFormer KWJJ/Portland [email protected]

•Amber RaineyFormer KSON/San Diego [email protected]

•Tami RumfeltFormer WPAW/Greensboro [email protected]

•Mike AllanFormer WNSH/New York [email protected]

•Darlene EvansFormer WKIS/Miami [email protected]

•Nathan CruiseFormer In2une Dir./ Regional [email protected]

•Mark “Skid” LavinFormer WOTW/Orlando Dir./Production & [email protected]

•“Wes McShay” GardipeFormer Appaloosa Dir./Western Region [email protected]

•Nicholas NixonFormer KFRG/Riverside [email protected]

•Kerry WolfeFormer WMIL/Milwaukee SVPP & [email protected]

•Keith AbramsFormer iHeartMedia/Cleveland [email protected]

•Mike McKayFormer WQRB/Eau Claire, WI Brand Mgr./[email protected]

•Jimmy ElliottFormer WOVK/Wheeling, WV WPP/PD/MD/[email protected]

•Steve PowersFormer iHeartMedia/Mobile, AL [email protected]

•Jim DormanFormer iHeartMedia/Wichita SVPP & Country KZSN PD/[email protected]

•Eddie RuppFormer iHeartMedia/Sarasota, FL SVPP/OM & Country WCTQ [email protected]

•Mike TylerFormer WCKT/Ft. Myers, FL PD/[email protected]

•Amy LynnFormer WCKT/Ft. Myers, FL [email protected]

•Bill “Stu” StewartFormer KASH/Anchorage, AK PD/morning [email protected]

•Ashley KingFormer KHLR/Little Rock, AR [email protected]

•Jeremy “Otis” MaherFormer WUBL/Atlanta MD/[email protected]

•Jess TylerFormer WOKQ/Portsmouth, NH Brand Mgr./MD/[email protected]

•Jim PearsonFormer KDBL/Yakima, WA PD/[email protected] 831-261-1822

•Crash PoteetFormer WPOR/Portland, ME Brand Mgr./[email protected]

•Aaron “Gator” GlassFormer WQNU/Louisville [email protected]

•Tom ScottFormer Seven Mountains/Pennsylvania “Big Foot Country” [email protected]

•Todd ElbrinkFormer Cox/Houston [email protected]

•Matt ValleyFormer KBRJ/Anchorage, AK Dir./Content & [email protected]

•Carly QuinnFormer WGH/Norfolk morning [email protected]

•Chuck ReevesFormer KTFW/Dallas & KTWF/Wichita Falls, TX PD/[email protected]

•Chuck “DZL” ThompsonFormer WKKT/Charlotte [email protected]

•Jackie McKayFormer KSOP/Salt Lake City night host/Promotions [email protected]

•JD GreeneFormer WPGB/Pittsburgh PD/[email protected]

•Kenny JayFormer WUSN/Chicago [email protected]

•Corey GarrisonFormer WTHT/Portland, ME [email protected]

•Jared MarloweFormer WWOF/ Tallahassee [email protected]

•Chris CardenasFormer KCYY/San Antonio night host/morning [email protected]

•Dan GalloFormer KTHT/Houston morning [email protected]

•Chuck AkersFormer KTHT/Houston morning [email protected]

•Ryan WildFormer WLHK/Indianapolis PD/[email protected]

October 11, 2021

Chart Page 1

--

2 LEE BRICEMemory I Don’t Mess With (Curb)

31619 3997 8731 1220 39.985 3.967 160 0

3 2 J. ALDEAN & C. UNDERWOOD/If I... (Macon/BBR/Capitol) 4 28523 2305 7800 560 34.554 2.996 160 0

1 3 J. RODGERS f/L. COMBS/Cold Beer... (River House/Columbia) 26415 -5707 7072 -1712 35.963 -5.431 160 0

4 4 ELVIE SHANE/My Boy (Wheelhouse) 4 24954 2093 6969 484 31.862 2.841 158 0

5 5 WALKER HAYES/Fancy Like (Monument) 4 24701 2700 6991 778 29.51 2.97 156 1

7 6 RYAN HURD w/MAREN MORRIS/Chasing After You (Arista) 22001 1017 6170 280 26.604 1.256 157 0

9 7 OLD DOMINION/I Was On A Boat That Day (Arista) 4 20567 2451 5697 675 24.922 2.479 160 0

8 8 KENNY CHESNEY/Knowing You (Blue Chair/Warner/WEA) 20149 1028 5625 313 23.655 1.022 160 0

12 9 ZAC BROWN BAND/Same Boat (Home Grown/Warner/WAR) 18899 1753 5152 490 23.974 1.937 159 1

10 10 LUKE COMBS/Cold As You (River House/Columbia) 18542 907 5081 262 23.478 1.496 160 0

14 11 D. LYNCH f/M. PORTER/Thinking 'Bout You (Broken Bow) 17282 1535 4641 444 20.079 2.291 160 1

11 12 LADY A/Like A Lady (BMLGR) 17179 -199 4626 30 20.43 0.112 160 0

13 13 JON PARDI/Tequila Little Time (Capitol) 16648 634 4473 107 20.535 0.948 160 1

15 14 J. ALLEN & B. PAISLEY/Freedom Was A Highway (Stoney Creek) 15796 94 4287 14 18.44 -0.1 160 0

6 15 SCOTTY MCCREERY/You Time (Triple Tigers) 15501 -6385 4066 -1835 20.028 -7.109 160 0

16 16 MICHAEL RAY/Whiskey And Rain (Warner/WEA) 14862 117 3981 30 16.435 -0.03 159 0

17 17 PRISCILLA BLOCK/Just About Over You (InDent/Mercury) 13693 400 3686 119 15.252 0.746 157 0

20 18 JORDAN DAVIS f/LUKE BRYAN/Buy Dirt (MCA) 12816 1787 3554 474 14.385 2.648 158 1

19 19 CHRIS STAPLETON/You Should Probably Leave (Mercury) 12804 842 3563 220 14.524 0.715 157 1

22 20 KANE BROWN/One Mississippi (RCA) 11144 544 3038 170 13.263 1.239 158 1

23 21 RUSSELL DICKERSON/Home Sweet (Triple Tigers) 10877 429 2885 183 12.409 0.861 155 1

21 22 CALLISTA CLARK/It's 'Cause I Am (Big Machine) 10632 2 3043 0 9.797 -0.17 157 1

25 23 K. BALLERINI f/K. CHESNEY/Half Of My Hometown (Black River) 10491 491 3075 162 11.238 0.569 158 1

24 24 PARKER MCCOLLUM/To Be Loved By You (MCA) 10465 318 2801 73 11.541 0.549 154 0

26 25 MORGAN WALLEN/Sand In My Boots (Big Loud) 10269 498 2815 113 12.288 0.544 151 4

LW TW Artist/Title (Label) Total Points +/- Points Total Plays +/- Plays Audience +/- Aud Stations ADDS

1 44

©2021 Country Aircheck™ All rights reserved. Sign up at countryaircheck.com • Send news to [email protected] 4=Top 5 Point Gainers

October 11, 2021

Chart Page 2

©2021 Country Aircheck™ All rights reserved. Sign up at countryaircheck.com • Send news to [email protected] 4=Top 5 Point Gainers

27 26 ERIC CHURCH/Heart On Fire (EMI Nashville) 8995 513 2518 134 9.098 0.225 153 0

30 27 SAM HUNT/23 (MCA) 7984 1323 2066 370 7.576 1.127 147 3

28 28 E. KING & M. LAMBERT/Drunk ... (RCA/Columbia) 7681 558 2051 163 7.861 0.819 120 3

29 29 HARDY/Give Heaven Some Hell (Big Loud) 7505 667 2135 181 6.478 0.302 146 2

31 30 GARTH BROOKS/That's What Cowboys Do (Pearl) 6364 488 1706 115 5.191 0.213 127 0

34 31 KEITH URBAN/Wild Hearts (Capitol) 5557 377 1434 99 5.852 0.348 133 5

32 32 MATT STELL/That Ain't Me No More (Records/Arista) 5348 -52 1486 -14 4.912 0.158 144 1

33 33 JAKE OWEN/Best Thing Since Backroads (Big Loud) 5212 -88 1416 -28 5.206 0.152 142 1

36 34 L. ALAINA w/J. PARDI/Getting Over Him (Mercury) 4844 146 1386 65 4.015 -0.12 147 1

38 35 D. BENTLEY f/BRELAND & HARDY/Beers... (Atlantic/Big Loud/Capitol) 4514 337 1183 99 5.676 0.543 122 10

39 36 TOBY KEITH/Old School (Show Dog) 4278 227 1280 67 2.96 0.396 132 1

37 37 CAITLYN SMITH f/OLD DOMINION/I Can't (Monument) 4203 -2 1251 -4 3.042 -0.084 112 6

40 38 DARIUS RUCKER/My Masterpiece (Capitol) 3985 127 1079 21 3.681 0.158 126 5

41 39 TIM MCGRAW/7500 OBO (Big Machine) 3837 251 1028 55 2.887 -0.028 108 1

42 40 C. PEARCE & A. MCBRYDE/Never... (Big Machine/Warner/WMN) 3739 358 1018 104 4.01 -0.225 114 7

43 41 DAN + SHAY/Steal My Love (Warner/WAR) 3478 109 953 38 2.84 0.087 112 2

44 42 BROTHERS OSBORNE/I'm Not For Everyone (EMI Nashville) 3319 5 986 1 2.377 0.154 107 0

45 43 TENILLE ARTS/Back Then, Right Now (19th & Grand) 3148 59 914 7 1.68 0.16 108 1

35 44 BLAKE SHELTON/Come Back As A Country Boy (Warner/WMN) 2819 -2108 745 -588 2.426 -4.281 115 13

48 45 FRANK RAY/Country'd Look Good On You (Stoney Creek) 2699 58 776 15 1.678 0.131 92 2

47 46 NATE BARNES/You Ain't Pretty (Quartz Hill) 2651 -26 843 25 1.372 -0.112 96 0

50 47 CAROLINE JONES/Come In ... (Mailboat/New Revolution) 2310 60 744 31 0.982 -0.045 75 2

49 48 CHRIS LANE/Fill Them Boots (Big Loud) 2296 18 671 1 1.669 -0.119 86 2

49 CAM/Till There's Nothing Left (Triple Tigers) 2265 61 689 26 1.173 0.127 75 1

50 DYLAN SCOTT/New Truck (Curb) 2087 15 615 9 1.421 0.031 69 1

LW TW Artist/Title (Label) Total Points +/- Points Total Plays +/- Plays Audience +/- Aud Stations ADDS

Debut

Re-Enter

October 11, 2021

Country Aircheck Top Spin GainersLEE BRICE/Memory I Don't Mess With (Curb) 1220

WALKER HAYES/Fancy Like (Monument) 778

OLD DOMINION/I Was On A Boat That Day (Arista) 675

J. ALDEAN & C. UNDERWOOD/If I... (Macon/BBR/Capitol) 560

R. MCENTIRE & D. PARTON/Does He Love You (Revisited) (MCA) 555

ZAC BROWN BAND/Same Boat (Home Grown/Warner/WAR) 490

ELVIE SHANE/My Boy (Wheelhouse) 484

JORDAN DAVIS f/LUKE BRYAN/Buy Dirt (MCA) 474

D. LYNCH f/M. PORTER/Thinking 'Bout You (Broken Bow) 444

SAM HUNT/23 (MCA) 370

Country Aircheck Top Point GainersLEE BRICE/Memory I Don't Mess With (Curb) 3997 4WALKER HAYES/Fancy Like (Monument) 2700 4OLD DOMINION/I Was On A Boat That Day (Arista) 2451 4J. ALDEAN & C. UNDERWOOD/If I... (Macon/BBR/Capitol) 2305 4ELVIE SHANE/My Boy (Wheelhouse) 2093 4R. MCENTIRE & D. PARTON/Does He... (Revisited) (MCA) 1906

JORDAN DAVIS f/LUKE BRYAN/Buy Dirt (MCA) 1787

ZAC BROWN BAND/Same Boat (Home Grown/Warner/WAR) 1753

D. LYNCH f/M. PORTER/Thinking 'Bout You (Broken Bow) 1535

SAM HUNT/23 (MCA) 1323

Activator Top Spin GainersWALKER HAYES/Fancy Like (Monument) 395

LEE BRICE/Memory I Don't Mess With (Curb) 216

ELVIE SHANE/My Boy (Wheelhouse) 178

OLD DOMINION/I Was On A Boat That Day (Arista) 121

KENNY CHESNEY/Knowing You (Blue Chair/Warner/WEA) 107

D. BENTLEY f/BRELAND & HARDY/Beers… (Atlantic/Big Loud/Capitol) 97

JORDAN DAVIS f/LUKE BRYAN/Buy Dirt (MCA) 89

J. ALDEAN & C. UNDERWOOD/If I... (Macon/BBR/Capitol) 82

SAM HUNT/23 (MCA) 79

MORGAN WALLEN/Sand In My Boots (Big Loud) 75

Activator Top Point GainersWALKER HAYES/Fancy Like (Monument) 1840 4

ELVIE SHANE/My Boy (Wheelhouse) 1026 4

LEE BRICE/Memory I Don't Mess With (Curb) 948 4

KENNY CHESNEY/Knowing You (Blue Chair/Warner/WEA) 585 4

C. PEARCE & A. MCBRYDE/Never… (Big Machine/Warner/WMN) 424 4

D. BENTLEY f/BRELAND & HARDY/Beers… (Atlantic/Big Loud/Capitol) 415

JORDAN DAVIS f/LUKE BRYAN/Buy Dirt (MCA) 392

OLD DOMINION/I Was On A Boat That Day (Arista) 375

SAM HUNT/23 (MCA) 372

MORGAN WALLEN/Sand In My Boots (Big Loud) 353

Country Aircheck Top Recurrents Points

CHRIS YOUNG & KANE BROWN/Famous Friends (RCA) 20245

CHASE RICE F/FGL/Drinkin' Beer… (Dack Janiels/BBR/BMLGR) 17411

LUKE COMBS/Forever After All (River House/Columbia) 16070

LUKE BRYAN/Waves (Capitol) 15350

COLE SWINDELL/Single Saturday Night (Warner/WMN) 12890

DAN + SHAY/Glad You Exist (Warner/WAR) 12063

LAINEY WILSON/Things A Man Oughta Know (Broken Bow) 11074

THOMAS RHETT/What's Your Country Song (Valory) 10000

JUSTIN MOORE/We Didn't Have Much (Valory) 9382

PARMALEE f/BLANCO BROWN/Just The Way (Stoney Creek) 9374

Country Aircheck Add Leaders Adds

LUKE BRYAN/Up (Capitol) 51

BLAKE SHELTON/Come Back As A Country Boy (Warner/WMN) 13

D. BENTLEY f/BRELAND & HARDY/Beers... (Atlantic/Big Loud/Capitol) 10

C. PEARCE & A. MCBRYDE/Never… (Big Machine/Warner/WMN) 7

R. MCENTIRE & D. PARTON/Does He Love You (Revisited) (MCA) 7

CAITLYN SMITH f/OLD DOMINION/I Can't (Monument) 6

CHRIS JANSON/Bye Mom (Warner/WAR) 6

CONNER SMITH/Learn From It (Valory) 6

MORGAN WADE/Wilder Days (Arista) 6

NIKO MOON/Paradise To Me (RCA) 6

PARMALEE/Take My Name (Stoney Creek) 6

Chart Page 3

©2021 Country Aircheck™ All rights reserved. Sign up at countryaircheck.com • Send news to [email protected] 4=Top 5 Point Gainers

October 11, 2021

Chart Page 4

FRANK RAY/Country’d Look Good On You (Stoney Creek) Moves 48-45* 2699 points, 776 spins 2 adds: WNCY, WWKA NATE BARNES/You Ain’t Pretty (Quartz Hill) Moves 48-46* 2651 points, 843 spins; No adds CAROLINE JONES/Come In (But Don’t Make Yourself Comfortable) (Mailboat/New Revolution) Moves 50-47* 2310 points, 744 spins 2 adds: WCOS*, WNCY CHRIS LANE/Fill Them Boots (Big Loud) Moves 49-48* 2296 points, 671 spins 2 adds: KCYY, WWYZ CAM/Till There’s Nothing Left (Triple Tigers) Re-entry 49* 2265 points, 689 spins 1 add: KSSN DYLAN SCOTT/New Truck (Curb) Debut 50* 2087 points, 615 spins 1 add: WAVW DREW PARKER/While You’re Gone (Warner/WMN) 1987 points, 549 spins; No adds R. MCENTIRE & D. PARTON/Does He Love You (Revisited) (MCA) 1906 points, 555 spins 7 adds: WCOS*, WCTQ*, WEZL*, WMAD*, WNCB*, WPGB*, WQIK* GABBY BARRETT/Footprints On The Moon (Warner/WAR) 1856 points, 545 spins; No adds TRAVIS DENNING/ABBY (Mercury) 1845 points, 538 spins 1 add: KRYS CHRIS YOUNG w/MITCHELL TENPENNY/At The End Of A Bar (RCA) 1829 points, 477 spins 1 add: KNUC*

COUNTRY AIRCHECK ACTIVITY

©2021 Countr y Aircheck™ — Al l r ights reser ved. S ign up f ree at w w w.countr yaircheck .com. Send news to news@countr yaircheck .com

OCTOBER 18CODY JOHNSON/’Til You Can’t (CoJo/Warner/WMN)SCOTTY MCCREERY/Damn Strait (Triple Tigers)JUSTIN MOORE/With A Woman You Love (Valory)CHASE RICE/If I Were Rock & Roll (Dack Janiels/Broken Bow)MIRANDA LAMBERT/If I Was A Cowboy (RCA)

OCTOBER 25None Listed

NOVEMBER 1DILLON CARMICHAEL/Son Of A (Riser House)

OCTOBER 7Jay Allen Bulletproof (Verge)Produced by Micah Wilshire, Allen is a co-writer on each of the four tracks and shares credit on two (“Hell Outta Me” and “Mustang On Mud Tires”) with fiancée Kylie Morgan.

OCTOBER 15Toby Keith Peso In My Pocket (Show Dog)The Kenny Greenberg and Keith-produced album features lead single “Old School” and writing credits from The Warren Brothers, Ryan Hurd, Maren Morris, Jesse Jo Dillon, Brett Tyler and Sammy Hagar.

Zac Brown Band The Comeback (Home Grown/Warner/WAR)With a co-writer credit on every track, including single “Same Boat,” Brown also co-produced the record alongside frequent collaborator Ben Simonetti.

Ryan Hurd Pelago (Arista)Hurd’s debut album was produced with childhood friend/creative partner Aaron Eshuis with further contributions from Jesse Frasure and Teddy Reimer on songs including “Chasing After You,” featuring Maren Morris, and “To A T.”

Troy Cartwright Halfway To Houston (Warner Music Nashville)The major label debut studio EP features five tracks, including three new songs, all of which Cartwright had a hand in writing.

Waylon Payne The Lost Act (—)The follow up to Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me features three new songs, including “7:28.”

Avenue Beat Goodbye (Big Machine)The debut farewell album marks the trio’s end with 12 tracks, including viral hit “F2020”and “This Is Goodbye,” featuring Summer Overstreet. OCTOBER 16 Tommy Karlas Put It In Drive (Calhoun Enterprises)Despite writing songs for artists including Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan and Old Dominion, the project marks Karlas’ first full length album and features 11 tracks with writing credits from Barry Zito, Trent Wilmon, Whitney Duncan, John Pierce and more.

ADD DATESSend yours to [email protected]

CHECK OUT

October 11, 2021

Chart Page 5

©2021 Country Aircheck™ All rights reserved. Sign up at countryaircheck.com • Send news to [email protected] 4=Top 5 Point Gainers

LW TW Artist/Title (Label) Points +/- Points Plays +/- Plays Stations ADDS

1 1 J. ALDEAN & C. UNDERWOODIf I Didn’t Have You (Macon Music/Broken Bow/Capitol)

11742 238 2348 82 48 0

3 2 LEE BRICE/Memory I Don't Mess With (Curb) 4 11562 948 2360 216 48 0

2 3 J. RODGERS f/L. COMBS/Cold Beer… (River House/Columbia) 9527 -1286 1833 -344 47 0

4 4 ELVIE SHANE/My Boy (Wheelhouse) 4 9511 1026 1956 178 46 0

10 5 WALKER HAYES/Fancy Like (Monument) 4 9463 1840 2022 395 48 8

9 6 KENNY CHESNEY/Knowing You (Blue Chair/Warner/WEA) 4 8521 585 1681 107 47 0

7 7 OLD DOMINION/I Was On A Boat That Day (Arista) 8517 375 1697 121 47 0

8 8 LUKE COMBS/Cold As You (River House/Columbia) 8338 213 1652 62 49 0

5 9 R. HURD w/M. MORRIS/Chasing After You (Arista) 8238 -154 1681 -31 48 0

11 10 ZAC BROWN BAND/Same Boat (Home Grown/Warner/WAR) 7487 74 1482 45 48 0

12 11 JON PARDI/Tequila Little Time (Capitol) 7366 334 1492 73 48 0

13 12 LADY A/Like A Lady (BMLGR) 6588 -292 1350 -52 46 0

14 13 MICHAEL RAY/Whiskey And Rain (Warner/WEA) 6409 -17 1280 0 46 0

6 14 SCOTTY MCCREERY/You Time (Triple Tigers) 6252 -2006 1065 -446 45 0

15 15 D. LYNCH f/M. PORTER/Thinking 'Bout You (Broken Bow) 5880 194 1204 48 48 1

19 16 JORDAN DAVIS f/LUKE BRYAN/Buy Dirt (MCA) 5237 392 1037 89 48 0

18 17 ERIC CHURCH/Heart On Fire (EMI Nashville) 5182 319 939 60 48 1

17 18 J. ALLEN & B. PAISLEY/Freedom Was... (Stoney Creek) 4990 -178 995 -39 46 0

21 19 KANE BROWN/One Mississippi (RCA) 4959 269 913 74 47 0

20 20 PRISCILLA BLOCK/Just About Over You (InDent/Mercury) 4893 175 1017 29 44 0

22 21 CHRIS STAPLETON/You Should Probably Leave (Mercury) 4786 268 966 58 47 0

23 22 MORGAN WALLEN/Sand In My Boots (Big Loud) 4605 353 939 75 47 0

24 23 PARKER MCCOLLUM/To Be Loved By You (MCA) 4362 334 855 69 44 0

25 24 KEITH URBAN/Wild Hearts (Capitol) 3742 98 672 25 44 1

26 25 CALLISTA CLARK/It's 'Cause I Am (Big Machine) 3632 118 682 24 46 0

27 26 RUSSELL DICKERSON/Home Sweet (Triple Tigers) 3250 116 661 29 43 0

28 27 K. BALLERINI f/K. CHESNEY/Half Of... (Black River) 3156 125 647 30 45 1

30 28 SAM HUNT/23 (MCA) 2648 372 500 79 44 1

29 29 GARTH BROOKS/That's What Cowboys Do (Pearl) 2571 244 511 31 40 0

32 30 E. KING & M. LAMBERT/Drunk ... (RCA/Columbia) 2212 261 414 48 42 1

October 11, 2021

Chart Page 6

©2021 Country Aircheck™ All rights reserved. Sign up at countryaircheck.com • Send news to [email protected] 4=Top 5 Point Gainers

LW TW Artist/Title (Label) Points +/- Points Plays +/- Plays Stations Adds

34 31 D. BENTLEY f/BRELAND & HARDY/Beers... (Atlantic/Big Loud/Capitol) 2122 415 354 97 35 8

31 32 JAKE OWEN/Best Thing Since Backroads (Big Loud) 2072 -36 382 -13 37 1

33 33 HARDY/Give Heaven Some Hell (Big Loud) 1982 125 414 24 40 0

36 34 TOBY KEITH/Old School (Show Dog) 1569 170 309 30 37 3

42 35 C. PEARCE & A. MCBRYDE/Never... (Big Machine/Warner/WMN) 4 1422 424 249 65 23 2

38 36 DAN + SHAY/Steal My Love (Warner/WAR) 1403 132 207 30 23 0

35 37 TIM MCGRAW/7500 OBO (Big Machine) 1360 -36 251 -7 22 0

39 38 BLAKE SHELTON/Come Back As A Country Boy (Warner/WMN) 1211 165 234 19 22 16

37 39 LAUREN ALAINA w/JON PARDI/Getting Over Him (Mercury) 1195 -104 261 -17 37 1

41 40 MATT STELL/That Ain't Me No More (Records/Arista) 1118 94 242 22 34 0

40 41 JACKSON MICHELSON/Tip Jar (Curb/MCC) 920 -114 195 -17 20 0

46 42 DARIUS RUCKER/My Masterpiece (Capitol) 916 114 210 15 31 1

44 43 CHRIS YOUNG f/MITCHELL TENPENNY/At The End Of A Bar (RCA) 909 90 138 12 9 0

43 44 CAITLYN SMITH f/OLD DOMINION/I Can't (Monument) 860 -47 206 -12 30 1

45 45 CHRIS JANSON/Bye Mom (Warner/WAR) 849 46 157 14 21 2

49 46 CHRIS STAPLETON/Joy Of My Life (Mercury) 730 80 73 8 1 0

48 47 BROTHERS OSBORNE/I'm Not For Everyone (EMI Nashville) 719 -19 171 -4 22 0

47 48 MIDLAND/Sunrise Tells The Story (Big Machine) 683 -26 90 -3 11 0

50 49 NATE BARNES/You Ain't Pretty (Quartz Hill) 650 66 133 8 15 0

53 50 MORGAN WADE/Wilder Days (Ladylike/Thirty Tigers) 586 84 87 14 11 1

51 51 LUKE COMBS/South On Ya (River House/Columbia) 580 0 58 0 1 0

52 INGRID ANDRESS w/SAM HUNT/Wishful Drinking (Warner/WEA) 550 120 55 12 1 0

52 53 TENILLE ARTS/Back Then, Right Now (19th & Grand) 540 0 146 1 15 0

59 54 KELSEA BALLERINI w/LANY/I Quit Drinking (Black River/Interscope) 540 100 54 10 1 0

55 55 MITCHELL TENPENNY/Truth About You (Riser House/Columbia) 470 10 49 3 5 0

56 56 MATT STILLWELL/Hey Dad ('21) (723 Entertainment) 468 10 95 2 7 0

54 57 MADISON STATION/Shoes Under My Bed (Yellow Hammer) 467 -5 90 -1 6 0

58 DUSTIN LYNCH f/CHRIS LANE/Tequila On A Boat (Broken Bow) 450 20 45 2 1 0

57 59 R. DICKERSON f/FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE/It's About Time (Triple Tigers) 450 0 45 0 1 0

58 60 CAROLINE JONES/Come In ... (Mailboat/New Revolution) 437 -8 76 2 11 1

Re-Enter

Re-Enter

Debut