(By John Shomby) Over the past few weeks, country music and country radio have experienced a very interesting crossover phenomenon with the most unlikely of participants – Beyonce – having success with an actual country song.
I was very encouraged to see the comments from the major broadcast companies’ heads of programming expressing their unified desire to give the song considerable exposure. Of course, if you follow some media outlets, you are led to believe that country radio had no intention of playing the song – using a very small market in Oklahoma as the “example.”
But enough about that. It was a topic on several panels at the past week’s Country Radio Seminar in Nashville. There is no doubt that this has been a “moment” for the genre and, in particular, for the format.
Here is my question: after this pivotal moment, what happens next? Will there even be a “next”? There definitely should be. Do we keep the gates open for other talented minority country music artists or was Beyonce just considered a special “guest”? I can tell you the talented artists are out there. I have had the privilege of working with CMT’s Equal Access cohort and have been exposed to some very knowledgeable and talented artists and managers who want just and equal consideration – equal access, so to speak. They don’t want favors.
I spoke to Tiffany Provenzano, who oversees the program, about the Beyonce “moment” and what may be ahead.
“I think Beyonce announcing her country record has been great for the genre. It has inspired a dialogue around other Black women already in the genre and has really increased their visibility. For the Black country artists in our Equal Access program, for example, we’ve seen big growth on their social media followers, increases in streams, and increased press interest. Beyonce has a history of lifting creatives in other genres, and her inclusion of Rhiannon Giddens on “Texas Hold ‘Em” bodes well that the trend will continue. And because Beyonce has just helped expand the fanbase for these artists, they’re going to be much harder to deny in the future”.
One of the cohort’s young managers Alex Evelyn (manager of an up-and-coming artist named Camille Parker) had this to say about what’s next: “It is time for the industry to adapt to this new wave. They are no longer in control of what people listen to, and what kind of music an artist should make. Artists are now going directly to their fans and showing their most authentic selves. We all have to become open-minded and get out of the boxes of genres. It is a beautiful thing when artists crossover genres and collaborate. As an industry, we cannot keep gatekeeping and separating genres because it will hurt us in the long run.”
Will the “gate” stay open for these artists? Country (the genre and radio), as we all know, has taken a number of hits for its lack of female artists. This is an opportunity to stretch the limits of the genre and the format without losing the heart of what the music represents.
Beyonce doesn’t escape without a question, either. What happens next for her? Does she enjoy the success of “Texas Hold ‘Em” and then head back to the pop side OR does she help keep the gate open for future minority stars in the format? Tour openers, collaborations, and just plain endorsements. If this is to be more than a moment, everyone needs to be in on what’s next. Let this be an awakening for a genre that’s always been about the truth.
Based in Nashville, TN, John Shomby is the owner and CEO of Country’s Radio Coach. He is focused on coaching and mentoring artists, radio programmers, and on-air talent to help them grow and develop inside the radio station and the industry. Reach John at [email protected] and 757-323-1460. Read John’s Radio Ink archives here.
