when Annie Ortmeier was named co-chairman at the Triple Tigers in September, one of the programs he took on was the rebuild Scotty McCrearyhis online presence.
One person, rather than an independent company, became dedicated to the singer's social media, and in the first six months, his email list doubled in size alongside the growth of his streaming and online following. When McCreery received the trophy for the first CMT digital performance before the CMT Music Awards on April 7, it marked his first win at that ceremony in 12 years, and Ortmeier saw it as a sign that the revised marketing efforts are paying off.
“We've made voting part of our social media strategies since the nominations came out,” he says. “I can't help but think that had a lot to do with him winning that award.”
Ortmeier and Warner Music Nashville co-chairman/co-chairman Ben Klein they are the first two country label heads whose paths to leadership included full-time employment in digital marketing. Ortmeier's journey began in 2004 at CMT.com, where she launched e-commerce for CMT, VH1, VH1 Classic and Comedy Central. Handled digital marketing for Universal Music Group Nashville.
Kline began more traditionally in the 1990s with the pop divisions of PolyGram and Island before joining UMGN in 1997, staying in Nashville for twelve years. By the end of this series, new media had become part of his job title. He left to work for three years at InGrooves, a company focused strictly on online music distribution and marketing. It was a key part of his evolution as a 21st century music executive before his 2014 return to Nashville with WMN.
“Every decision we made [at InGrooves] it was viewed through the digital lens, and we were raising money and going through a few rounds of funding, and the conversations were all digital: “What's the future? What's next? What are the growth patterns?' he remembers. “It was a digital business and you had to understand the ins and outs of how to talk to consumers and talk to partners in that space.”
Both Kline and Ortmeier first devoted their efforts to digital music and full-time promotion at a time when CDs and airplay were still the primary vehicles for the country genre. Their early commitment to the then-new platforms uniquely positioned them to take over the reins of the label once the industry drivers turned upside down.
“I was working in streaming when it was 15% of the business,” Ortmeier recalls of her previous work at UMGN. In more recent years “it was 85% of the business. So it's completely turned upside down.”
The leadership of the label has changed dramatically in Nashville. In the early years of the business, record label heads — incl Chet Atkins at RCA, Owen Bradley on Decca and Ken Nelson on Capitol Hill — tended to be producers. Did it make sense? Record labels made their money by selling singles and albums that got airplay, and producers generally handled the sounds that worked on the air. But as the industry became increasingly reliant on sales of higher-priced albums, record companies more often gave the top spot to promotion and marketing executives, including Joe Gallant at RCA, Bruce Hinton in MCA and Rick Blackburn on CBS.
Now that artists and labels are reaching listeners through virtual platforms, industry hubs are turning to people who were at the forefront as these new avenues emerged, providing more data than ever before. Understanding that information is key to any modern marketing plan. But knowing when to apply humanity to the numbers is just as important.
“Data can make smart people look dumb or make dumb decisions,” Kline says. “Analytics and data help inform, but it can't be how all your decisions are based. Instinct and instinct and knowledge and past experience – all have to play a part.'
One of the key lessons of past experience, however, is that the past may not be very predictive of how you'll reach fans in the future. Taylor Swift she famously built some of her first fans on Myspace, which is now a quaint relic of outdated accounts. Luke Combs came to prominence by showcasing his music on Vine, which shut down in 2017.
“Whatever works today, enjoy it today, because it might not work tomorrow with the digital world,” says Kline.
This same digital environment has fundamentally changed the way labels and artists find each other. In another era, consumer marketing of artists mostly began after they signed a record deal and started releasing music. Now the artist already has a fan base before labels will even consider signing him, and the act is usually wiser about how to interact with that audience. So, meeting an artist in 2024 is different than it would have been in, say, 1994.
“They're building fans, talking to them, sharing music, getting their music heard,” says Kline. “Think about the stories artists bring to signing deals compared to what it was 30 years ago. I mean, it's unbelievable, so the conversation has to change.”
Likewise, this overall country audience is different. Streaming platforms make more artists and more genres available, so even mainstream country listeners are likely to absorb a wider range of music. Likewise, the genre is accessible to a much larger segment of the population. Thus, the current Beyonce The moment is possible, in part, because of flow. Cowboy Carter connects because she was able to tap into her established audience in addition to going directly to country fans. Had she tried to make it through '94, her main options for exposure would have been late-night TV appearances, prominent in-store placement, and any radio play she could muster. PDs protective of country identity would feel reluctant to give a playlist spot to a pop singer who was only likely to stick around for one album.
“It really opens up a consumer who never thought they were a country fan, just like that Garth Brooks did 30-plus years ago,” suggests Ortmeier.
The shift toward digital marketing and distribution in the country immediately helped propel Kline and Ortmeier to leadership. Streaming is here to stay, so it's a good bet that these two executives are setting what could be a long-term precedent.
“I believe,” predicts Ortmeier, “that there will be others behind us.”
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