{"id":135865,"date":"2025-02-19T12:17:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T17:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/02\/19\/country-radio-seminars-new-faces-show-was-once-make-or-break-now-its-a-validation-3\/"},"modified":"2025-02-19T12:17:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T17:17:08","slug":"country-radio-seminars-new-faces-show-was-once-make-or-break-now-its-a-validation-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/02\/19\/country-radio-seminars-new-faces-show-was-once-make-or-break-now-its-a-validation-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Country Radio Seminar\u2019s New Faces Show Was Once Make Or Break. Now It\u2019s a\u00a0Validation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tWhen the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) comes to a close on Feb.\u00a021, five artists \u2014 Warren Zeiders, Dasha, Ashley Cooke, Drew Baldridge\u00a0and Zach Top\u00a0\u2014 will have 20 minutes apiece to make a lasting impression on programmers at the New Faces of Country Music show.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat 20-minute slot may not sound like much, but it\u2019s significant. In its original incarnation, New Faces allowed artists to perform just two songs, which meant they had about seven minutes to win over a room of professional skeptics. Because of decisions made 25 years ago, this year\u2019s class has nearly triple the amount of stage time to influence programmers from across the country. Many of those gatekeepers will be evaluating these artists\u2019 work for the rest of their careers.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Russell<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tStorytelling On Steroids: Inside the Revival of Country\u2019s \u2018Life\u00a0Songs\u2019\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tThe long-tail importance can\u2019t be discounted. In just the last week, Lee Brice had a conversation with a radio executive who recalled specifics about his New Faces appearance in 2011.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI knew that you got to get your face out there, and that people talk about it,\u201d Brice says, recounting the obvious benefits of that appearance. \u201cBut they\u2019re still talking about it [14] years later. That I didn\u2019t realize.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe New Faces show had make-or-break moments in its earliest years, building a reputation as a star-making platform. Alabama\u00a0in 1980, Randy Travis\u00a0in 1986 and Tim McGraw\u00a0in 1994 all impressed the crowd with their two-song sets, solidifying support from broadcasters who inevitably helped them become significant ambassadors for the genre.<\/p>\n

\n\tConversely, a few artists snuffed out their possible futures with appearances that ran from amateurish to over the top. In one particular instance, an independent artist thanked the crowd for making her a \u201cstar,\u201d though she had never reached the top\u00a025 on Billboard\u2019s country singles chart. The room\u2019s influencers groaned audibly, and she only made one more chart appearance with a single that peaked in the 60s.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tHow Surprise Efforts Help Grow Country\u2019s Fan Base and Evolve\u00a0the\u00a0Format\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tMore stringent qualifications have since been instituted. The annual lineup was halved in 2000 from 10 artists to five. More recently, CRS instituted a vote of radio employees and other members of the music industry and media to select performers. That has changed the impact of a New Faces appearance. It previously represented an introduction to an artist; now it\u2019s a confirmation of the industry\u2019s embrace.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe purpose of it is different,\u201d Country Radio Broadcasters executive director RJ Curtis<\/strong>\u00a0says, \u201cbut I still think it has significance and meaning for our event and for the artists\u2019 careers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tA Billboard<\/em>\u00a0study of the 413 artists who appeared at New Faces from 1970 to 2024\u00a0underscores the change. During the first 30 years, when the lineup usually featured 10 artists performing two songs apiece, more than half of them \u2014 52% \u2014 reached the top\u00a010 on Billboard<\/em>\u2018s country singles chart in their careers. Since 2000, when the lineup was reduced to five acts performing for 20 minutes each, a whopping 91% have gone top\u00a010.<\/p>\n

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Subscribe to\u00a0Billboard Country Update<\/a>, the industry\u2019s must-have source for news, charts, analysis and features.\u00a0Sign up for free delivery<\/a>\u00a0every week.<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

\n\tThe difference is significant, reflecting changes in not only the New Faces show but also the structure of the entertainment landscape. During the early days of CRS, there was no internet or even a country cable TV network. Programmers may not have seen an 8\u00a0by\u00a010 glossy of all the artists or, in some cases, even received a 7-inch to sample. A New Faces appearance was literally a chance to make a first impression.<\/p>\n

\n\tMcGraw\u2019s 1994 appearance is a case in point. He had had a polarizing hit with his novelty \u201cIndian Outlaw,\u201d but his second song that night was a still-unreleased \u201cDon\u2019t Take the Girl.\u201d It effectively changed the narrative around his career.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019d never heard that song before,\u201d Curtis recalls. \u201cTim nailed it. It was mind-blowing. The room was beside itself, and rightly so, and Tim has acknowledged that, yes, that was a big moment for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Neon<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tComing Up: 13 Country Acts With Debut Albums or EPs Due by the End of\u00a0June\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tUnder current conditions, most attendees have likely met some of the New Faces artists and even had them sing in their conference rooms on radio promotion tours or had them perform for an acoustic, station-sponsored benefit. And with 20 minutes to play, the artists are better able to shape \u2014 if they\u2019re so inspired \u2014 a set list that represents a musical journey. Curtis points to Eric Church\u00a0in 2007 as an example.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was like an introduction or an autobiography, a statement about who he was as an artist, what he believed in and what his shows were going to look like if you hadn\u2019t seen him live,\u201d Curtis remembers. \u201cTo a lot of people who were the big Eric Church fans, it was about the live show. That was an experience \u2014 it wasn\u2019t just a concert, it was like a shared experience \u2014 and Eric Church came out in 2007 and did a really clever [show], all tied in together. Very strategic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe decision to cut the lineup from 10 artists to five was likewise a strategic move by CRS. The late Charlie Monk, one of the seminar\u2019s founders, told Curtis that in the show\u2019s early years, performance slots were based less on the artists\u2019 accomplishments than on their teams\u2019 ability to pull strings.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI hate to say this, but back in the day, it was kind of a smoke-filled room,\u201d Curtis admits. \u201cThere were deals, there were \u2018I scratch your back, you scratch mine\u2019 [agreements] \u2014 that\u2019s the way the business was back then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat meant there were acts appearing on the show who didn\u2019t necessarily warrant the opportunity. The board decided to shrink the field from 10 performers to five in 2000 and institute criteria for the first time, including benchmarks related to airplay charts. (Beginning with the 2026 show, Billboard<\/em>\u2018s multimetric Hot Country Songs will figure into eligibility.)<\/p>\n

\n\tNaturally, requiring a specific level of success led to stronger lineups, and with only five slots, there have been plenty of instances where a worthwhile performer missed one year, but was eligible again the next year and made it. Zeiders, who will perform this year, is a prime example. That also strengthens New Faces, though it also means the showcase experience is different from its original concept. There\u2019s less suspense about the artists, and a surprise breakout is far less likely. Instead, it\u2019s more a celebration of the developing acts that the industry has already generally embraced.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was a predictor,\u201d Curtis says, \u201cand now it\u2019s a validation.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) comes to a close on Feb.\u00a021, five artists \u2014 Warren Zeiders, Dasha, Ashley Cooke, Drew Baldridge\u00a0and Zach Top\u00a0\u2014 will have 20 minutes apiece to make a lasting impression on programmers at the New Faces of Country Music show. That 20-minute slot may not sound like much, but it\u2019s significant. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135865\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}