NASHVILLE, Tennessee – After three packed days of musical performances, informative panels, and engaging sessions, Country Radio Seminar (CRS) has concluded.
This year’s event was a success, with attendees enjoying a full-day Streaming Summit, with insightful panels and CRS anchor events such as the “Amazon Music Presents: Country Heat at CRS” showcase, Warner Music Nashville’s Luncheon, Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley, “Team UMG” at the Ryman, Big Machine Label Group’s Luncheon, BBR Music Group Decades Party, “Paddle Royale” Ping Pong Tournament, and the New Faces of Country Music Show and Dinner.
The 6th annual “Amazon Music Presents: Country Heat at CRS” showcase was headlined by Lady A and featured performances by Chayce Beckham, Ella Langley, Dylan Marlowe, and Josh Ross.
The CRS 2024 Warner Music Nashville lineup included performances from Ashley McBryde, Austin Snell, Bailey Zimmerman, Chase Matthew, Cody Johnson, and Warren Zeiders.
An exclusive artist-to-artist exchange unfolded at CRS 2024 as Lainey Wilson engaged in a dynamic Q&A with award-winning artist, Trisha Yearwood. Departing from the norms of past keynote events, this artist interview brought together two powerhouse vocalists: Trisha Yearwood, a two-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, and Wilson, reigning CMA Female Vocalist and New Artist.
The CRS Big Machine Label Group luncheon featured performances by Lady A, Mackenzie Carpenter, Jackson Dean, Riley Green, Greylan James, Chris Janson, Brian Kelley, Carly Pearce, and more. Garth Brooks and Ronnie Dunn made a surprise appearance during the Big Machine Label Luncheon along with Dierks Bentley, who wowed the crowd with “American Girl” from the Petty Country tribute album, due out this spring.
Hit songwriters, artists, and attendees gather as a multi-award-winning artist and recent inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Keith Urban, made a special appearance to close out the evening’s writers’ rounds during CRS 2024’s “Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley.” The event was hosted by Fitz of Country Top 40 with Fitz and showcased a mix of established stars and successful songwriters. Sponsored by Country Top 40 with Fitz, Skyview Networks, and First Horizon Bank, with the bar sponsored by ASCAP.
The annual New Faces of Country Music® Show, hosted by Elaina Smith and Katie Neal, closed out CRS 2024. The New Faces Show has played a pivotal role in the careers of almost every major country star. It is also one of the week’s biggest highlights, including the CRS/Country Aircheck Awards.
The most important event for me at CRS is the artist interviews. You meet everyone from new artists just starting to seasoned veterans who have been attending for years. See below for 32 exclusive interviews.
With so many in-person conferences going belly-up, I wanted to know what the secret was to CRS’s continued success. CRB/CRS Executive Director RJ Curtis told me, “CRS’s enduring popularity is in the Board and Agenda committee’s ability to consistently curate top-tier expertise and adapt to the evolving needs of its attendees across all facets of the industry. By continually tapping into the best talent and innovating its offerings, CRS fosters an engaging environment that transcends traditional conference experiences.”
CRS is the premier educational and networking event for country radio and music industry professionals, providing attendees with access to informative panels, numerous networking opportunities, prominent speakers, research presentations, and intimate performances from some of today’s biggest stars and emerging artists. Panels at CRS covered a wide range of relevant topics in the country radio industry, including social media and digital innovations, brand strategies, leadership skills, consumer research studies, the relationships and economics of the radio and record industries, and much more.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and X(Twitter).
All photos by CRB/CRS/Kayla Schoen.
