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10 Questions with ... Katie Key
September 21, 2009
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NAME:Katie KeyTITLE:Chart EditorCOMPANY:Texas Music Chart/Shane Media ServicesBORN:Austin, TXRAISED:Humble, TX
Please outline your career so far:
I started out as the receptionist for KIKY/Austin in 1995. Before long I was on air- as "Kaktus Katie." I joined Shane Media as the receptionist in 1998 then moved up to Office Manager and then to OM of the consulting company. In 2000 the Texas Music Chart was launched and I was named the Editor.
1) Okay, let's talk about Texas music. You don't really hear about Ohio music or Wyoming music, so what is it about the state of Texas and the music there that warrants a genre of its own?
Texas has had a music scene for as long as any one can remember - we like to say it started with the cowboys singing around the campfire. Artists like Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker made the outlaw scene in Texas so hot in the '70s and now with folks like Eli Young Band and Pat Green, the scene is still going strong. Texas has its own state of mind. I'm sure every state has some of it, but Texas just has more.
2) Not only is there a genre of music that comes from Texas, there is also a Texas Music Chart. Tell us how the chart works. What stations make up the panel, how do they report, how is a song's chart placement determined, etc.
We have 97 radio stations in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico who report to us their plays of Texas or Red Dirt (that's what they call the music scene in Oklahoma) music to us every week. We have large market stations like KPLX and KSCS in Dallas and KVET in Austin. We also have a number of medium size markets like Midland-Odessa and Corpus Christi all the way down to smaller markets like Comanche and Ruston, LA. We ask that stations only report acts that have 30% of their touring schedules be in Texas or the surrounding states. I have to brag for a moment: the Texas Music Chart hit the two million hit mark in August - we had 2,007,650!
3) It seems that sometimes there is a backlash from mainstream Country against artists that are considered "Texas artists." Why is that?
Jealousy?
4) You joined Shane Media in 1998 and by 2000 you were the editor of the brand new Texas Music Chart. Wow, that was some fast promoting! When you started at Shane Media were you already immersed in that scene? Was this chart something you envisioned early on?
I've always been a Country fan and that included the guys in the Texas scene. I had no idea about the scope of this scene until we did research and talked to the stations that were playing the music and found out how popular it was. It was unbelievable then and now it's even more so!
5) We talked about the backlash from mainstream Country toward Texas artists, now let's flip it a little bit. When a Texas artist goes national, they tend to get a lot of backlash from the Texas music industry and fans. Why is that?
If an artist or band has a real bond with their fans, it's a personal response, so the fans are proud that their "friends" make it so big. Most of these guys don't let fame change who they are or their dedication to the sound that made them what they are. It's remarkable how supportive bands are of each other. If there's any "backlash," it's the same as I said before - jealousy.
6) Does the Texas music scene attract artists from other parts of the Country who want to be a part of it?
Always. I'm constantly getting calls from artists who are from elsewhere wanting to know how to make it in Texas.
7) It seems that a number of the artists that were big on the scene what it really exploded (Pat Green, Jack Ingram, CCR) have gone on to sign major label deals and focus on more than just Texas. So who are the new torchbearers for the Texas music scene?
There's so many but I'll try to list a few: Stoney LaRue, Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, Rich O'Toole, Mark McKinney, Bart Crow, Deryl Dodd, Bleu Edmondson, Jason Allen, Band of Heathens, etc. It's hard to only list a few!
8) If someone wanted to familiarize themselves with some of the best artists on the Texas music scene, whom would you recommend they listen to?
See above answer! And check out the Texas Music Chart each week.
9) I can imagine that you feel a sense of protectiveness over some of these artists that you have watched make their way through the Texas music scene and then on to the national level. What has been one of your proudest "mama moments" with an act?
There have been two (so far!). When Miranda Lambert's first national album came out, I was so greatly impressed with how far she had come from the days of driving around Texas with her mama. And then just recently, when Jack Ingram expanded his fan base by appearing on Lifetime's Army Wives!
10) You also write for the Best In Texas magazine so you spend a good deal of time talking with and interviewing artists. What is your best/worst/craziest story when it comes to sitting down and talking with an artist?
There have been several fun ones, exciting ones, and down right crazy ones. I won't name names but recently there was an artist who I was hoping to take a picture with for our magazine but I was told that he had a lady friend on the bus and wouldn't be out for "while." There's also my favorite band, Texas Renegade, who travel the great state with the cutest dog in the world, a mutt they call "Camp." Oh, and one more comes to mind. Kimberly Kelly who came to visit our office and said that she'd always dreamed of having her picture taken in front of Doug Moreland's sculpture for "Best in Texas."
Bonus Questions
1) So, what is the deal with you and Jack Ingram? From what I hear you have a number of Katie and Jack photos in your office.
Okay, so I might be a little biased when it comes to Jack. I've got a huge crush on him but I'm pretty sure he knows! I know my husband does!
2) If you were on a desert island and could only have five CDs from Texas artists, what would they be?
Walt Wilkins - Mustang Island
Cory Morrow - Outside the Lines
Band of Heathens - One Foot in the Ether
Cory Morrow & Pat Green - Songs We Wish We'd Written
Ryan Bingham - Roadhouse Sun3) Aside from Texas music, and Country in general, what else is on your iPod these days?
I'm a child of the '70s and '80s, so a lot of stuff from then - and the '60s, too!
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