MAB Q&A

The other evening, MAB and I were discussing my goals with radio play and so forth. I made the comment that I believe anything is possible and he replied back with that it is probable. For me though, getting radio play isn't an obstacle I have. The reason being, I've been a dj in clubs and as a part time gig for 25 years. I know a lot of station managers, radio talents and club dj's. Not in Wichita Falls but in San Angelo, Lubbock, Abilene and Midland-Odessa. Not to mention smaller venues. 

Like Justin, I study the charts and have for years. I've been a paying member of Billboard for almost 2 decades and the same goes for All-Access (Formerly Mediabase). They have various reports that you can browse through (7 day, Spincrease, Taking Off, Year to date), Station by station play, adds from station to station etc. I also have my dj site which has had over 50,000 listens in two years despite the fact I haven't posted any new mixes in over a year. My years of experience in this arena gives me a lot of insight to what is popular and what is not. What song types get the crowd going and what doesn't. As much as "bro country" may have run its course in Nashville, it is also the reason in my opinion that Nashville artists like Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell, Gilbert Brantley, Jason Aldean, Eric Church and others became popular. If you listen to what the fans say, a lot of them call those guys "sell outs" with some of the things they are putting out now. And I can relate that back to what happened in the mid 90's too. Country music took off with songs from artists like Clint Black,Garth Brooks. Clay Walker, Travis Tritt, Mark Chesnutt, Alan Jackson, Confederate Railroad,  Joe Diffie etc. etc. But by the mid 90's, radio was moving away from songs like "Friends In Low Places", "It Sure Is Monday", "Guitars, Cadillacs etc.", "Trashy Women", and replacing it with Brian White and what a lot of people refer to as "pop country". That went on for years and the popularity in clubs and overall suffered because of it. But their loss was Texas music's gain. Suddenly it took off and right up until the "bro country" became popular, it stayed that way. Then suddenly the roles were reversed, people began tuning into Nashville again and Texas music started tapering off. Now with the indications that "bro country" is headed out the door, I think you'll see Texas country take off again. And I honestly think that neither Nashville or Texas labels realize that one hand influences the other. I think writers like Kevin Fowler and Pat Green opened a lot of eyes in Nashville. They began to look for a way to share the spoils and thus the birth of "bro country". History repeats itself.

If you ever check out the scope of the things I write, you'll see a lot of "bro country" and "drinking songs" in my work. If I have them, you can bet their are thousands and thousands of aspiring writers who are suddenly being left with a product they can't sell in Nashville. So what do they do next? Naturally, they go to the next option. Who would that be? An artist perhaps in Texas? Can you see where my thinking is going with this? I'll be the first to admit, I have no idea about many, many aspects of the music business. But I do have a leg up in other aspects. Specifically, my years as a dj. I've met a lot of people doing that and I've had years of experience playing to a crowd. Learning what makes them tick and what doesn't. In Texas nightclubs, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts types don't. In teen angst groups and housewives sitting at home or office workers at their desk, it does. Radio play and the stats that Nashville does look at are a double edge sword in my opinion. Most men are out working in jobs where they can't call in and request a song all day. A lot of women on the other hand are employed in jobs where they can or are at home where they can. They call, request a song, it all goes into a data base and influences what is recorded down the road. A lot of the men who complain because they hate that kind of music, don't understand that it is either their wives or themselves who are to blame for it. When they have a broken heart and they call a radio station ten times in two weeks to request the same sad song that reminds them of losing their girlfriend, they are contributing to the same music that at other times, they complain about. Valentine's Day is a perfect example. Just look at what types of songs are requested endlessly on that day. Compare it to the ones requested on Friday and Saturday nights. Then you'll see that there is a method to the madness. And this isn't something that just occurred to me out of thin air either. I've spent countless hours in clubs as well as speaking with radio personalities, a few artists, club managers and station managers. I'm a member in good standing of that "in crowd". And the "party crowd" as well. And as a dj, those air plays and stats affected me too. Because then a song comes out, the record comes to the club or station, and you're obligated to play it. The next thing you know, you either have 20 women standing in front of you or calling in to request it, over and over and over. Or you have 20 guys calling in and complaining to you, "Why don't you play something good?" They just don't understand the business of it from that aspect.

In recent years, I admittedly avoided club life. It's like being a rock star. Certain things are expected from you and at some point it becomes a rough life to live through. Since our talks (MAB) about getting out and meeting people, I've begun to consider getting back into that lifestyle. Going to clubs, being a dj again even if it's a part time, fill in gig. I'm not in my 20's anymore. I'm in my late 40's. I liken it to a teenager who writes a 7 minute heavy metal guitar riff. Never realizing that when they get in their 50's, they aren't going to have the energy or stamina to perform that way song after song for an hour. And I'm sure you guys can relate when I say that the best club dj's have a lot of energy. They have to if they want to get the crowd into it and grow the club's popularity. It's the business of it. With music, the only obstacle I see between me and air time or club play is getting the right person to record it and create the sound I'm searching for. Once that happens, I know people I can push it to. It's just meeting the artists, writing good material and getting it recorded that are obstacles I see standing in my way. I'm not trying to come across cocky. But I do know how to sell myself. There are just certain things that I have a lot of confidence in when it comes to my abilities. I can farm the land, run telecommunications and trucking businesses, sell a product, and turn a funeral into a keg party. For me, it's like combing my hair. I've done it enough to know how.

Hope you guys are having a great day. God bless!,