Country Music 2013: The Top Songs, Artists, and Stats

If we were talking about wrestling, Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan would have been the Tag Team of the Year.

While that’s one of the few awards Country doesn’t have yet, Blake and Luke do win our award for best A&O&B chart performers of 2013.

The Songs

Driven by our weekly research, here is how A&O&B’s Top 10 for 2013 shaped up.

The Artists

2013 was another great year for Blake Shelton. He not only placed three songs in our top 30, all were in the top 10 including the number one song “Boys 'Round Here.”

This is the second time that Blake has had three songs reach our top 10 (he did it in 2011 as well) and the fifth time overall that this has been done by a single artist in the past 10 years: Blake as we noted in 2013 and 2011, Luke Bryan in 2012, Zac Brown Band in 2010 and Toby Keith in 2003.

Meanwhile Luke Bryan had three songs in the top 30 including two in the top ten plus song 24 for the year - the Jason Aldean-Luke Bryan-Eric Church title, "The Only Way I Know."

Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, Eric Church, Florida-Georgia Line, Tim McGraw and The Band Perry each placed two songs in the top 30.

90% of the Top 1/3 titles in 2013 were by Millennial Artists. Those of you who follow our Roadmap studies know that in February this year we detailed the appeal of various country music clusters with “New Songs from Millennial Artists” being the number one music cluster for multiple demos including 25-54.

While 90% is a big number, new artists didn’t necessarily benefit. In fact, 2013 was a mixed bag for them. Four first-time charters had songs that scored well enough to average a rank of 10.0 or lower (lower is better) during their time as current. However, only one new artist cracked the top 1/3: Tyler Farr. This is just the second time that only one new artist has broken into the top 1/3 on our list since we began tracking this statistic in 2001.

Meanwhile there continues to be minimal chart presence for Historical Superstars. Tim McGraw (2 songs including the “Highway” duet with Taylor Swift) and George Strait (1) were the only Historical Superstars (which we define as core artists with multiple chart hits prior to 1997) to have songs in the top 1/3. For perspective, there were 11 in 2008.

The Stats 

In addition to artists and titles, A&O&B tracks a number metrics. As we usually do let’s look at two: Total Positive and Like A Lot.

Total Positive scores were off for the second year in a row following 2011’s peak. Songs ranking in the bottom 2/3 declined at a slightly greater rate than songs in the top 1/3. We’re looking at higher overall scores than we had for most of the first decade of 2000 but lower scores since 2011. 

The Like A Lot metric was mixed. 2013's average Like A Lot score for our top 1/3 was flat from last year however the average for songs in the bottom 2/3 fell for a second straight time. That drop was big enough to make the gap between the Like A Lot ‘have and have-nots’ the widest it’s been in four years.

Stations whose primary source of music information is tracking spins are vulnerable to a competitor who is tracking their listeners’ tastes.

As we wrote last year, a great programming resolution for the New Year would be to regularly take your listeners pulse on the music you play.  

A&O&B offers client stations online music testing, free, as part of our full service commitment. We’ll be glad to answer your questions about how it works.

Larry Lujack and the Skill of 'Being Real'

Google Larry Lujack and you’ll get roughly 73,000 results.

His passing December 18^th generated an outpouring of accolades from listeners and co-workers alike.

I asked Country Aircheck Publisher/CEO Lon Helton about growing up listening to Larry and later working in the same market with him when Lon was at Chicago’s WMAQ.

“He was just so compelling .... you were afraid you'd miss something if you didn't listen.  People today talk about being 'real' on the radio like it's something new that they have invented.  Lujack was as real as it got ... often in full blown curmudgeonry. You had the sense he'd say anything he wanted to on the air ... and you just didn't want to miss it.”

Echoing Lon’s words, many of the tribute pieces cite Larry’s uniqueness, having a point of view (often sarcastic), being himself, and relating to ‘everyman.’ 

In his blog Chicago media expert Robert Feder’s called Larry, “real, relatable and unlike anything (listeners had) ever heard on the radio before.”

There are plenty of references to his kindness off the air as well.

But “real” seems to be one of the most oft-use descriptor of his on air performance.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to hear Larry Lujack on a regular basis. But I did grow up listening to the great talent in New York City (you don’t have to live in a big city to hear great talent) and later got to be part of teams that included radio giants Dan Daniel, Jim Kerr, Cousin Brucie and Scott Carpenter.

They too share the trait of being real and being interesting. They have a point of view, a sense of humor, a deep understanding of who listened and why, an infectious love of what they did, and the ability to simply be themselves in a way that made spending time with them a daily ‘must.’

Their secret sauce: being real without being self-absorbed.

No one really wants to hang out in real life with Cecily Strong’s SNL character the Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With at a Party.

But we all want to be in the presence of the Larry Lujacks of the world.

What On Air Talent Can Learn from Actors and "The Sound of Music Live!"

Acting is hard.

If you don’t believe it, look at some of the reviews otherwise-superstar Carrie Underwood has gotten following her performance in “The Sound of Music Live!” on NBC last week. Even members of the actual Von Trapp weighed in! 

Among other things, great acting involves timing, showing and evoking emotion, always being in character and developing skills for being "in the moment" no matter what.

If you want a textbook lesson from the show, watch Audra McDonald’s riveting performance of “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” . In what is arguably the highlight of the broadcast, Audra is not only totally authentic in that you believe she’s sharing from her heart, she's also appears to totally absorbed in communicating her thoughts to Carrie's Maria and is 100% convincing that this is the first time these words have ever come out of her mouth.

How McDonald does do this? The Wall Street Journal asked and got this response.

“Just focus on what Mother Abbess is really trying to do. And what’s she trying to do is give Maria some serious tough love and kicking her out. She’s saying no, you can’t run from your problems. This is opportunity in your life knocking on the door saying here we are. Here is your life. This is your destiny. And I’m not going to let you run away from it because it seems scary. So If I focus on that I think I’ll be okay. If I focus on–”oh this is a hard song, I hope I don’t screw up,” then I’ll screw up.

Be in the moment and focus on your scene mate.

Those are keys according to my actor-daughter who I asked to weigh in on the performance and what a radio talent whether working with a partner or a caller can learn from actors – especially McDonald’s performance in this scene.

“A good actor notices everything their partner does and responds with a point of view backed by how he or she feel about what the other person is saying or even how that person is saying it. Actors look at things and react according to how it makes them feel.”

I asked for an example of how an actor or an air talent could practice something like this.

“Look at a lamp and ask, ‘Do I like this lamp? How do I feel about the color/texture/design? Does it inspire me to want to decorate? Does it remind me of my ex's lamp who I hate and therefore want to pick up this lamp and smash it against a wall?’  That's one way an actor can practice being ‘in the moment.’”

Several years ago talent coach Tommy Kramer and I did a presentation that included several talent sharing tips via videos. “Listen, really listen to what your partner is saying” was one of the tips from J and Julian – then of Chicago’s B96).

Arguably one of Carrie’s best moments was also the “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” scene. Her welled-up eyes looked pretty convincing.

Perhaps she was focusing doing exactly what an actor does: focus intently on what her scene mate – Audra - was communicating. That in turn may have maximized Audra’s own performance.

Maybe none of that was true at all.

But if it was, it really makes the point about the power of listening and responding to the moment.  

Beyond the Trophy: More Reasons to Enter Station/Personality of the Year Competitions

A while back I posted 5 reasons why your station should enter Station/Personality of the Year competitions (click to read).

Here are three more just in time for the Academy of Country Music’s Station of the Year and On-Air Personality of the Year competition which is open for submissions through December 6th (get information here or give me a call, text or email).

1.   As a programmer, putting together a ‘best of’ audio, ratings, and community service presentation makes you think about how compelling your station/show actually is. What are the stand-out aspects? Are there opportunities to further leverage your strengths and do what you do best even more frequently?   Does your talent shine and are they sufficiently showcased? What community efforts have you led that are so unique and meaningful to your listeners that awards judges will be impressed? How are your ratings vs. one year ago and beyond? Win or not, you can use the time you spend entering an award competition to help create an even better station or show – something that pays benefits all year long.

2.   Relatedly, use your presentation as a coaching and leadership tool to challenge the entire staff.  For every event in the coming year, challenge co-workers to help make it bigger, better, or improved in some meaningful way.  Remind the staff of the challenge throughout the year by using it as a theme for meetings or by publicly acknowledging co-workers for special efforts. You’ll reap a product benefit while making your next submission a true collective undertaking that all can take pride in.

3.   Re-purpose your presentation to create a multi-media sales piece. Add video from your talent, PD, GM and SM. You can even embed a sales contest at the end of the video to encourage viewership and interaction. Create an edited version and post on YouTube for listeners and fans.

It’s a great honor to take home the trophy of course. But you’re also a winner just by participating in the process.

I hope you enter.

Congraulations to KUZZ AM/FM, Bakersfield, the reigning ACM Radio Station of the Year/Medium Market. The team is shown above including Jerry Hufford (second from left), Tom Jordan, Toni-Marie, and Mel Owens along with Gary Allan.

And the Winner Is… A&O&B’s Quick Online Poll of Listener and Industry 'Takes' on the 2013 CMA Awards Show

Blake, Taylor, and Florida-Georgia Line were among those who took home multiple CMA  trophies this week, but the show itself was a winner too with listeners and the industry in our quick and admittedly unscientific post-show online poll.

And, just as I blogged  in our post-ACM Awards Show poll earlier this year, listeners were more passionate as a whole in their evaluations than the industry (radio) participants who weighed in.

Overall, 41% of listeners gave the show the highest score (5 on our 1 worst to 5 best scale) compared to 28% in the industry. That’s not to say radio wasn’t positive; they rated the show an average of 4.0 vs. 4.2 for listeners. Still, 88% of listeners rated the show a 4 or 5 vs. 72% of the industry. 

There was a good-sized gap in the desire for more performances on the show too, with about 1 in 8 listeners wanting more performances vs. 0% of the industry.  Meanwhile13% of listeners and 17% of the industry wanted more awards and less music.

There was complete agreement however on Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood as hosts. The pair scored extremely well with each group. 76% of listeners gave the hosts the top score compared to 72% of the radio panel.

When asked about specific high points on the show, 64% of radio cited the Alan Jackson/George Strait Tribute to George Jones. Other top moments (in order) were the Taylor Swift “Red” performance (29%), Brad and Carrie’s hosting abilities and content (21%), the Kenny Rogers Tribute with Jennifer Nettles (21%) and the Kacey Musgraves performance (21%).

Also receiving multiple mentions were Zac Brown both for the Luke Bryan hug as well as his performance with Dave Grohl, and Little Big Town for their performance of “Sober.”

The most negatives for radio (21%) were related to winner selection.  The show also got dinged for audio issues, length, some of the presenters, and execution.

Listeners agreed with radio regarding the top highlight; the George Jones Tribute was mentioned by 33% of the respondents. Other stand-outs for listeners were the Opening Monologue (24% with 5% mentioning the "Obamacare" piece by name), Carrie and Brad as hosts (17%), George Strait’s Entertainer of the Year Award/Speech (16%), and Taylor Swift receiving the Pinnacle Award (14%).

The positive comments outnumbered the negative ones though 10% of listeners reported not liking Eric Church’s song/performance, the George Jones Tribute being too short (7%), there being too much pop/rock on the show in general (7%), audio issues (6%), and disagreement over some of the winners (6%).

Overall our industry participants reported the feedback they received from listeners about the show was 83% positive (56% “very positive”).

That appeared to be supported by the TV ratings as USA Today reported that the Awards show averaged 16.3 million viewers which was up by nearly 3 million viewers over last year.

But back to the overall scores and the passion gap between listeners and radio - and the reminder to us that in our "been there/been backstage" world it's important not lose sight of the level of passion listeners have for country music and the artists that make it, and about the excitement that can be generated by three hours of TV that puts their favorite songs and singers front and center.

Have some personal thoughts on the show or feedback from your listeners you’d like to share? Feel free to leave a comment!

(Thanks to A&O&B's @BeckyBrenner for the photo)

“Re-Attention:” The Challenge of Getting Attention Again Once You've Lost It

Getting attention is hard enough.

Getting “re-attention” may even be harder.

Maintaining attention infers that attention is ongoing.

“Re-attention” however suggests that there’s been a break in the level of interest, and that the reasons for this disconnect have to be identified and then reconciled before a relationship can be reestablished.

There can be positive reasons why attention gets lost (a new product attribute grabs attention from an old attribute for example), however it’s easier to conceive of negative ones including consumer ennui, declining value/performance/relevance, complexity, shiny new objects, a product failure, or at some point a negative consumer-developed disposition that isn’t addressed.

Here are some thinking points on attention (or lack of it):

• What are your listeners passionate about and what are they oblivious to, and how does that fit with your station vision?
• What aspects of the station, if they had heightened attention, could increase listening?  
• If attention has been lost or not developed to the desired level, what are the potential reasons and remedies: a personal enthusiastic appeal, initiating a relevant conversation, creating a “second first impression,” promoting a new found benefit/feature that creates an improved end-user experience, using credible testimonials, providing new information that will result in reconsidering a negative predisposition, or...?
• How is attention best maintained once it’s been reestablished?
• How long is “long enough” to see results?
• Is the “gain worth the pain” to get attention back for this particular issue? Sometimes the answer may be “no.”

Jump into the process by thinking about what does and doesn’t get your attention when you listen to your station or a competitor.

Thoughts from the Great Guerrilla Marketer

I don’t remember when I first read something Jay Conrad Levinson wrote.

I do remember though that it made me a fan.

Having read Seth Godin’s blog last night that Jay – a former VP and Creative Director at the J. Walter Thompson and Leo Burnett advertising agencies - had passed away, I went to the office and pulled out my copy of Jay’s 1990 book “Guerrilla Marketing Weapons.” 

As with any 20+ year old business book, some parts have weathered better than others. Still, the idea of being a guerrilla as well as many of Jay's specific thoughts and observations are as relevant today as ever. 

• You yourself as your company’s ‘packaging’
• The believability of non-generic testimonials
• That being competitive is a non-stop job
• Customer expectations must be understood and managed before they can be met and exceeded
• The value of walk-by/drive-by traffic
• High touch as a "safeguard" against consumer apathy
• The relationship of success to ‘deep and healthy’ community involvement

While “Guerrilla Marketing Weapons” wasn’t written about radio, it's easy to see the applications.

You can read more of Jay’s writing here.

Country Too Pop? Too Rock? Listeners on Living in Harmony

We’ve all read it or heard it by now – the CJJR-FM interview where Zac Brown called Luke Bryan’s current single, “the worst song I’ve ever heard” and that some songs on country radio make him “ashamed to even be in the same genre.”

Well, at least we know where he stands.

And of course he’s not the first to bemoan the state of country music over the years.

I speak to hundreds of country radio listeners while conducting Listener Panels for stations, and we always speak in depth about the music.

These fans are quick to list the big stars, the up-and-comers, and those who they’ve grown tired of.

Luke and his music have fared extremely well, as have most of the millennial artists. There’s great passion for our music – all the genres.

Still, in nearly every group, there is some admonishment to “keep the music country.”

While no panelist has threatened to “throw up” if they hear another song referencing trucks or tailgates, listeners have some concerns over country music becoming “too pop.” They express concerns about rock too but, anecdotally, that seems to come up less frequently.

Country radio has always been able to successfully expose a number of different styles simultaneously.  And we can see great testing as well as sales across these genres – and for the past few years, strong ratings.

But we enter the danger zone is when too much of any one style (be it pop or rock, tempo or texture) dominates.  That’s especially true if too much of the material we’re trying to manage lives at the edges.

Today, the job of balancing each quarter hour of music is both increasingly challenging and of critical importance.  

Review your library coding for relevance at least every six months. Our music is constantly changing and our rules and coding need to help us manage the ebb and flow of the imbalance du jour.

Consider balance when making adds. What theme/style/genre do you have too much or too little of? It best add may or may not be "chart obvious."

Find time to do critical listening to your station, paying particular attention to balance. 

It’s rarely about any one song.  As one listener put it recently, “We like it all. We just want you to mix it up.”

Or, as my partner Jaye Albright blogged, "(the) diversity of sound, borrowing generously from what's "hot" and adapting fresh ideas are the very things that keeps country growing. It's regrettable when any of us who understand the business disparages artists, songs, radio stations or record companies. A bit of the mud, when that happens, splashes on all of us."

Radio Algebra: Five Formulae for Success

“Radio Algebra: Five Formulae for Success” was something I wrote a number of years ago when Jaye and I presented a daylong programming and talent seminar in Atlantic City. I wrote them to be playful yet helpful, not of course to be serious math.

Through the years we’ve used the Five Formulae as a marketing piece, printed them on bookmarks that we slipped into music history books we gave away as Christmas gifts one year, and used them as the basis for a number of in-station presentations.

It’s been a while since the Five Formulae’s last ‘public appearance,’ so if you've never seen them or if you once saved a print out of them but lost it (I just saw them last week hanging on a PD’s cork board which made me think about posting them here), here’s a re-visit. 

#1: EV > CL (Entertainment Value must be Greater than the Cost of Listening)

The greater the positive distance EV is from CL, the better chance you have of increased listening. Grow EV with strong talent and content, creative imaging, entertaining promotions, the best music, and more. Increase CL with clutter, imbalance, irrelevance, unwarranted hype, violating listener values and expectations, and violating the brand promise.

#2: E (P1) * N = L * N (Empowering Listeners Equals a Proportional Increase in Loyalty)

The more your best listeners feel empowered (and loved, understood, embraced, etc.), the more loyalty you’ll earn. Want cheerleaders, station evangelists, sneezers, and fans? Shift from ‘control’ to ‘unleash and inspire.’

#3: T (x) = B (x) (The Stronger Your Talent, The Stronger Your Brand)

Strong talent is a major weapon against competitors and alternative media. It’s an asset that’s not readily ‘covered.’ Time spent developing talent is generally time well invested.

#4: VBP = LL (Value Based Programming Equals Listener Loyalty)

True understanding of your listeners' values and infusing your product with those values tells listeners you 'get' and care about them. You'll be rewarded with loyalty and evangelism.

#5: B (n) = B (n) (Balance All Elements of Your Station)

The different music styles that make up your playlist, the ratio of talk-to-music, heart-to-laughter, etc. - know your elements and what your station's formula for these should be. Since some elements like music are constantly changing, you'll want to review your balance frequently and correct anything that's out of proportion. 

Who said 8th grade Algebra isn’t useful? 

Have a formula or two you'd like to share? Feel free!

How Many “Web Gems” Were There On Your Show Today?

I love the All Star Game and Home Run Derby, but I’m glad baseball is back tonight. “Taters” and “Web Gems.” Bring ‘em on.

Web Gems – for a long time an ESPN/Baseball Tonight staple conceived in 2000 and now a part of the vernacular for any great bit of glove work – featured the10 best defensive plays of the day. Nothing ordinary - or even above average - was ever a Web Gem.

You made it to Web Gems because your play was over-the-top better than anything anyone else did that day.

Being in the top 10 was an accomplishment considering on any given night in Major League Baseball there could be as many as 810 outs (30 teams playing x 27 outs per team).

In any given market during any given daypart, there could be about the same number of breaks (say 10 in an hour x 4 hours x 20 radio stations or about 800).

If there was a radio version of Web Gems – the best 10 breaks of the day – how many breaks from your show would be featured?

Before And After Pictures: Country's Musical Landscape In 2009 and Now

“Before and after” pictures can sometimes be startling. Especially when something that was iconic has changed dramatically, is no longer present or when something new “suddenly” appears.

Because we’re paying attention to our formats on a daily basis and appropriately navigating our stations through changes, good programmers aren't generally subject to before-and-after-shock.

Even so, side-by-sides of the past and present can be both interesting and useful in giving us a perspective on the pace of change.

Here’s a “before and after” look at Mediabase’s Top 10 Most Played Artists (all stations) for the year 2009 and just 3 ½ years later the most played artists to date in 2013. Only three artists - Kenny, Tim and Brad – appear in both snapshots. Seven artists from 2009 have been replaced by seven different artists so far this year.

2009	Artist	Spins		2013	Artist	Spins
1	KENNY CHESNEY	1093702		1	CHESNEY, KENNY	529588
2	TOBY KEITH	1043185		2	SHELTON, BLAKE	481823
3	TIM MCGRAW	882167		3	ALDEAN, JASON	481657
4	GEORGE STRAIT	847920		4	PAISLEY, BRAD	458663
5	BRAD PAISLEY	846708		5	UNDERWOOD, CARRIE	426473
6	RASCAL FLATTS	835130		6	BROWN, ZAC BAND	404099
7	KEITH URBAN	825170		7	MCGRAW, TIM	381991
8	ALAN JACKSON	750887		8	BRYAN, LUKE	359250
9	TAYLOR SWIFT	636428		9	LADY ANTEBELLUM	345478
10	BROOKS & DUNN	625323		10	LAMBERT, MIRANDA	331575

If we pull the lens back a bit to look at the Top 20 most played artists over the same time period, we can see more consistency in names but a number of rankings are significantly different and  there’s quite a bit of churn at the bottom of both lists.

2009	Artist	Spins		2013	Artist	Spins
1	KENNY CHESNEY	1093702		1	CHESNEY, KENNY	529588
2	TOBY KEITH	1043185		2	SHELTON, BLAKE	481823
3	TIM MCGRAW	882167		3	ALDEAN, JASON	481657
4	GEORGE STRAIT	847920		4	PAISLEY, BRAD	458663
5	BRAD PAISLEY	846708		5	UNDERWOOD, CARRIE	426473
6	RASCAL FLATTS	835130		6	BROWN, ZAC BAND	404099
7	KEITH URBAN	825170		7	MCGRAW, TIM	381991
8	ALAN JACKSON	750887		8	BRYAN, LUKE	359250
9	TAYLOR SWIFT	636428		9	LADY ANTEBELLUM	345478
10	BROOKS & DUNN	625323		10	LAMBERT, MIRANDA	331575
11	DIERKS BENTLEY	606851		11	URBAN, KEITH	327423
12	MONTGOMERY GENTRY	570204		12	THE BAND PERRY	326189
13	CARRIE UNDERWOOD	560249		13	STRAIT, GEORGE	310322
14	SUGARLAND	526223		14	KEITH, TOBY	306397
15	DARIUS RUCKER	511694		15	BENTLEY, DIERKS	299723
16	JASON ALDEAN	499024		16	RASCAL FLATTS	280816
17	ZAC BROWN BAND	474769		17	BRICE, LEE	279473
18	BILLY CURRINGTON	458349		18	CHURCH, ERIC	277111
19	GARTH BROOKS	447462		19	FLORIDA-GEORGIA LINE	276032
20	RODNEY ATKINS	444324		20	HAYES, HUNTER	271619

A look at album sales yields a similar picture; fully half of the artists making up this year’s top 10 selling albums (Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, The Band Perry, Hunter Hayes and Little Big Town) weren’t in the top 25 for the year 2009.

Again, this is not particularly surprising. Back in February at CRS, A&O&B reported that listeners claimed to have '"discovered" four of these five acts within the past 12 months (Florida Georgia Line being the exception). 

As a "before and after" side note, not too long ago, stations’ “Core/Key Artists” lists often numbered somewhere between 6 and 9.  For many stations today that list is 50% longer.  And that’s a good thing for the format.

None of this should be surprising of course, and that’s the point.

“Before and after” is fun and makes for an interesting look at the speed with which things change (or don't change). But staying on top of listener trends is a far better way to be relevant.

A&O&B provides clients free, ongoing opportunities to keep up with their listeners’ preferences and attitudes with online music surveys including twice-monthly testing of currents, and quarterly testing of gold titles; plus, our annual online Roadmap survey which reports listener behavior and perceptions on a large number of topics. Learn more here and at aandoandb.com.