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Jon Loba
June 11, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Like promotion reps who say, "It's so tight out there" or "It's never been this tough out there," those arguments about the length of time it takes to get a record have been going on since I got into this business. It's just the way it is. You have to figure a way through the gauntlet. Do I think it makes it more difficult to execute and does it affect artist development plans? Of course it does. But it's nothing new, so you just have to figure out how to operate under those circumstances
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Jon Loba has essentially spent upwards of 20 years with the same company - but that doesn't mean his career hasn't changed. What initially was Broken Bow Records became a Music Group, was then acquired by BMG ... and has seen the industry turn from a radio-and-record sales business to a radio-and-streaming. All that on top of the intense competitiveness and challenges of working Country music. Here, Loba explains how he and the BBR Music Group have adapted and capitalized on Country radio and the music business' evolution.
Seven years ago, I interviewed you when you just came back to BBRMG. How has the business - and your perspective on success - changed in that time?
The business from a macro level has, of course, changed fairly dramatically with the impact streaming now plays in the overall revenue mix, versus seven years ago. That in turn affects many aspects of the business.
When you look specifically at BBR now versus seven years ago, things have changed significantly. It's been well-publicized that BBR was slower to embrace streaming than the majors early on. There were many false reasons attributed to that, but one of the main objections our previous owner Benny Brown had was the majors were getting equity stakes in certain companies in exchange for streaming rights, but that we were not being offered the same. Fast forward to 2019 and we fully embrace streaming and have close, proactive, constructive partnerships across the board with those companies -- and it's paying dividends. Jason Aldean was the #1 Country consumption artist of 2018, among other success stories.
Additionally, seven years ago the BBR imprint was solid with Jason Aldean lighting the way as he still does for the entire BBR Music Group today, but Stoney Creek was just getting started and Wheelhouse was not even in existence. Today we have three very competitive imprints populated with incredibly diverse artists having success now -- and showing signs of exciting opportunities on the horizon. We have definitely evolved in that sense.
When BMG acquired BBR two-and-a-half years ago, one of my first priorities was to broaden our A&R mix -- and I believe we have done that. This year not only was Aldean awarded the prestigious honor of ACM Artist of the Decade, but we had nominations for ACM New Male Artist of the Year (Jimmie Allen), ACM New Female Artist of the Year (Lindsay Ell), ACM New Group of Duo of the Year (Runaway June) and ACM Duo of the Year (LOCASH). Further, Jimmie Allen, one of my first new signings, notched a historic #1 single. Oh yeah ... and we now have three stadium acts on the roster in Aldean, The Zac Brown Band and Kid Rock.
Finally, seven years ago, I believe our success was measured primarily on radio airplay and a bit on sales success. What hasn't changed is that we also measure success on how well we are serving both our artists and our partners. That will always be an incredibly important measure of our success and I believe we are delivering on that front more robustly than ever, even though we want to continue raising that bar.
Back then, you discussed the challenges of an indie label in a major label world. How have those challenges changed since then?
One of our biggest challenges back then was a lack of any international presence. It was our biggest Achilles heel when pursuing acts to sign. All our competitors had to do was ask an artist the question, "Do you have any international aspirations?" If their answer was yes, they could rightly say, "Well, BBR has zero presence outside North America." That conversation has been totally turned on its head. I can now say without question that if you have international intentions as an artist, the new BMG/BBR should be at the top of your list.
Another huge advantage of now being part of the BMG ecosystem is that we can draw on the knowledge-base, experience and perspective of colleagues around the world ... and frequently do. I have weekly calls with our L.A. and New York offices and regularly interact with our divisions all over the globe. This is a massive change in our world. Prior to 2017, we didn't have those resources to draw upon.
Overall, though, things have become a bit easier for independents. First and foremost, indies are able to realize immediate and potentially significant streaming early on if something connects with the consumer. Further, independent labels continue to have success at radio. Black River, Triple Tigers, Reviver and Riser House are all getting records through the gauntlet. The environment today for independents is vastly different and more welcoming for indies now than what it was when BBR and Big Machine were launched. One of the accomplishments BBR and Big Machine will be most recognized for, when the history books are written, is that both companies truly helped open the doors for other indies at Country radio.
Where does radio fit in with the growth of streaming?
Radio and streaming are not only two incredibly important pieces of our business, but they co-exist and benefit from each other quite well. This is not an either/or situation. Radio is a long-trusted, easily accessible source of curated music for listeners and accounts for a significant amount of music discovery. In nearly every piece of research you look at, over 90% of Americans listen to radio regularly. Conversely, streaming services will tell you on average, 70% of their streams are gold titles and 25% are current-recurrent music. Bob Pittman, among others, explains the dynamic well, with streaming acting as your record collection and not a replacement to radio. Streaming can also give radio and labels an early heads-up on monster records that are connecting before they ever hit the terrestrial airways. We saw this on Chase Rice's first #1, "Eyes On You." We saw the connection that song was having with streaming consumers as we were working "Three Chords and The Truth" and as such, started allocating resources to it and getting assets ready well in advance of when we eventually went to radio with "Eyes On You."
Streaming has also become a tool for radio with respect to programming their stations by providing metrics on music that previously were not available. Finally, with the advent and acceptance of smart speakers, streaming is now bringing radio back into the home after alarm clocks, boom boxes and other delivery devices had become nearly obsolete.
Long of the short, music listeners, radio and labels have all benefited from the rise of streaming in multiple ways. We of course have to continue our mission to make sure all stakeholders -- including songwriters and publishers -- are adequately compensated and I am optimistic we will. It's in everyone's best interest to do so. We need every area of the business to be healthy and profitable, from labels to songwriters and publishers to streaming companies, as we have such a symbiotic ecosystem. If one segment fails or can't sustain their business, it affects all of us.
One thing that hasn't changed: the complaint that Country radio isn't playing enough female artists. What's your take?
When you look at the cold, hard, data, there is obviously an imbalance. I truly do not think that is intentional among radio programmers. I know so many who honestly want the ratio of male-to-female artists to change. They want diversity in many ways. We as a label and publishing community need to continue to invest in female acts and continue putting them forward ... and as importantly, stick with them until more break through and connect like we have with Lindsay Ell. With the focus everyone involved has on this topic, I am incredibly optimistic we are on the edge of this tide turning toward a more gender-balanced mixed of artists on Country radio. We are already seeing it elsewhere with the success/acknowledgement of acts such as Maren Morris, Kasey Musgraves, Brandi Carlile and Ashley McBryde.
There's also some quibbling with the length of time it takes to work a record up the charts - especially when it takes nine months or more. Do you feel that can detrimentally impact your artist development plans ... and how do you react?
It seems this debate has been going on since the elimination of Bob Moody's 13-week rule over 20 years ago ... and I don't see it changing anytime soon. There is so much product out there and with the success of indies and their ability to operate with the increase in streaming revenue, I don't see that product flow changing. Radio only has so many slots for records.
Like promotion reps who say, "It's so tight out there" or "It's never been this tough out there," those arguments about the length of time it takes to get a record have been going on since I got into this business. It's just the way it is. You have to figure a way through the gauntlet. Do I think it makes it more difficult to execute and does it affect artist development plans? Of course it does. But it's nothing new, so you just have to figure out how to operate under those circumstances.
Additionally, if radio hadn't been patient with us in the early days, Craig Morgan's "Almost Home," which at the time had the longest chart climb in Billboard history, would not have become the evergreen hit it is today, showing up in many stations' gold catalogs and perhaps BBR would not be here today. That song was the first crack in the wall for independent labels breaking through.
Could you see yourself releasing new singles even when the preceding one is high in the charts? Or have you ever "released" a next single to Spotify or Apple Music to get it warmed up before officially going to radio?
Absolutely. We have and re-evaluate every day how we release singles because the environment changes by the minute. Back to the Chase Rice single, "Eyes On You." Once we saw there was a streaming connection, even though we were working a different song at radio, we worked "Eyes On You" in the digital world right alongside it, devoting resources and attention to that song as if it were the single at radio, even though it was not at the time.
Are you concerned with a certain "age-ism" radio has to veteran acts as opposed to the younger acts dominating playlists?
It is inevitable and not unlike other forms of media. There will always be a new crop of talented artists with a new sounds/production bringing a new perspective to listeners ... listeners from their generation who connect with what those artists are saying and how they say it. I am proud of this format in that we hang onto our A-list acts much longer than other genres and still make room for moments from our icons. One needs to look no further than the success George Strait is having with his new single.
Nashville, the city, is in the midst of an "ultra-gentrification" building boom of sorts. Is that just the wages of progress, or do you worry about it having any "urbanization" impact on Country music and radio?
Honestly, I don't worry about it. I've been in Nashville since I graduated college and moved here. Even with all the growth we have seen, one thing has remained constant and that is the sense of community Nashville retains and the intense pride for the city and what makes it special among its residents. I often say that Nashville attracts a certain type of people -- those who value that sense of community, creativity and everything that makes this city so unique and special. That spirit is not going to die and I believe has a chance to grow even further as we attract more and more creators.
Any future goals and challenges you'd like to attain?
There are too many to list and based on the speed with which both internal and external factors change, the goals and challenges change frequently, so I won't list here. Some will be obsolete by press time.
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