So you were probably wondering "where the hell is Karina?!" or not because let's be real here...well in case you did wonder why I was missing, I spent the last week in Nashville for Country Radio Seminar.
CRS is an annual conference held in Nashville where radio, record label, and artists all come out to play...and by play I mean learn how to make our jobs easier. Day 1:
Opening ceremonies began with the one and only Trisha Yearwood singing the National Anthem. Followed by Lady Antebellum announcing the class of 2017 Country Radio Hall of Fame winners, Keith Urban talking about the Artist Humanitarian Award, and Zac Brown receiving the 2017 Artist Humanitarian Award.
Later on in the evening we were treated to the Grand Ole Opry at CRS. SO MANY PERFORMANCES. Zac Brown Band. Chris Lane. Michael Ray. Chris Janson. Crystal Gayle. Lady Antebellum. LOCASH. Trace Adkins. Just to name a few. In case you were wondering Chris Janson is a hell of a harmonica player and killed it on stage.
Day 2:
I started Day 2 by being a total nerd with my buddy/mentor Chris Huff from CBS Houston (he's kinda cool -- don't tell him I told you that though). Edison Research and my good friend Megan Lazovick presented a study called "Country Radio Goes Mobile." Now I'm not gonna get into some crazy details here other than "41% of smart phone users would stick their hand in a Porta-Potty to save their phone." GROSS!
Next up was "Inside Studio G" an hour with Garth Brooks. Yes...THE GARTH BROOKS. I learned more in that hour with Garth than I did in any classroom. Garth reminded us to never stop being students and learn as much as we possibly can. "Slow down" was the big takeaway. In today's world we are rushing to be the best we can be and get to the top. What happens once we reach the top? Will we be satisfied? Sit back and enjoy the ride you're on.
Lunch at the Ryman is always one of the big CRS highlights. This year's UMG at the Ryman consisted of performances by Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Lauren Alaina, Billy Currington, Sam Hunt, Kip Moore, Josh Turner, Easton Corbin, Vince Gill, Lady Antebellum, Jon Padri, Chris Stapleton, and Keith Urban. Hands down the best part of it all was the guitar jam session provided by Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton, and Vince Gill.
Lunch was a huge success and left us all in a great mood, but it was time to get some learning going again. I sat in on a session that you may find boring but I found quite intriguing. I won't bore you with the details but let's just say it really made me think about the way I program music.
We ended the night at Sony Music Nashville where we got to network with other professionals in the industry and take a tour of Sony's new place. Oh and we also ran into a few people you may know: Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Jake Owen, Cam, Kane Brown, and Chris Young. Day 3:
The last day of CRS began with a panel focused on bringing up new radio talent which just so happened to include boss man, Big Daddy Downs. He may have called me out when I got up to get water, but hey "timing is everything."
Photo credit: Billy McKim
Next up was a social media based session including three panelists that rotated between rooms. The big take away from those were: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.
The Big Machine Label Group luncheon consisted of performances from: A Thousand Horses, Trent Harmon, Delta Rae, Midland, Carly Pearce and Maddie & Tae. Trent Harmon blew the entire room away with his performance of his song "Her." Midland is a band from Austin that was another huge hit with their song "Drinkin' Problem." Their harmonies gave the room chills.
Toby Keith had his own session where he discussed how he does things his own way and remains unapologetic for things he does. He continued to tell his story of struggles he faced when first moving to Nashville. I gained a new amount of respect for him after hearing what he's been through.
Shout out to Billy McKim for the hookup to New Faces. I was planning on an early night at my friend's apartment. I totally did not expect to go to New Faces until I received a friendly text from Dr. McKim saying he got me a ticket soooo that made me real happy. Luckily, I brought a dress incase I got off of the wait list. A fancy dinner, cocktails, and performances from Drake White, William Michael Morgan, Granger Smith/Earl Dibbles Jr. (YES, Earl made an appearance!), Jon Pardi, and Maren Morris made up my Friday night. I couldn't have asked for a better night.
CRS is always a great time. It's an amazing opportunity for anyone in the country music industry. You learn a lot, meet lots of people, and take away so much from the conference. I'm so grateful for the opportunities given to me and can't wait to attend again.
Peace & Love, Kari
0 Comments
|
Archives
February 2017
Categories |