Authenticity and AI Entered the Chat at This Year’s Country Radio Seminar

Increasingly, Americans are seeking authentic human contact, and one counterintuitive way the country music industry can provide that real experience is with an assist from artificial intelligence.

As the three-day Country Radio Seminar (CRS) rolled through its first two days, Feb. 28 and 29, the two A’s — authenticity and AI — were key touch points for broadcasters and for the music makers themselves as the symbiotic entities grappled with an ever-changing business landscape.

Some 72% of country fans have significant issues with the prospect of AI on the air, according to Jacobs Media founder and president Fred Jacobs, although computerized thought is assisting some early-adopting stations in research, brainstorming and processing creativity. WCJW Rochester, N.Y., PD/morning co-host Jimi Jamm told attendees in an AI Town Hall how he had used the Arvin app to generate a royalty-free image of Toby Keith ascending into heaven following the singer’s Feb. 5 death, earning a high rate of shares after it appeared on station-related social media. Max Media/Norfolk, Va., director of operations Michael Smith recounted creating a “Bad Santa” on-air element during the holidays that got enough reaction that he plans to extend use of AI in the future. Kensington Media/Warsaw, Ind., director of operations Kris Lake used an app to come up with a hook for a jingle that other companies had never quite captured.

Lake said he felt as if he were “doing the job of 23 people now every day,” spurring him to investigate AI in hopes of streamlining some of the time-consuming and/or mundane parts of his work.

“I use ChatGBT every single day,” he said, humorously adding, “I have no critical thinking skills on my own now.”

The idea that AI could replace humans is one of the biggest concerns surrounding its growth, though radio’s consolidation has practically demanded it. One audience member told the room that his company’s manpower had dropped from around 100 people 10 years ago to just 15, yet they were still expected to handle the same volume of work. AI helps the firm keep delivering country music to the fan base, allowing creators a little more time to focus on the part of the job they like. And the fans get the authentic music and artists they desire as the station upholds its mission.

Plenty of artists demonstrated their ability to harness authenticity in their music and their personas. Jelly Roll was enthusiastic and self-deprecating during a panel that recounted the development of his breakthrough country hit, “Son of a Sinner.” Kane Brown fought back tears as he accepted a humanitarian award, recounting how working two jobs during high school to help his mom make ends meet had fueled his dedicated support of the Boys & Girls Clubs. Blake Shelton was typically sarcastic in a surprise appearance with Gwen Stefani, performing “Purple Irises” during a Warner Music Nashville luncheon.

“So much has changed in the last few years — I’m not telling you anything you don’t know,” Shelton said. “But even in the five or six years [since] I was here last, I literally was backstage and hearing everybody talking about their streams. And I thought we were talking about peeing and how much pressure we’re all under and how big our streams are. That’s how far behind I am.”

CRS is one of the key annual events on the country industry’s calendar, and it has experienced its own changes, evolving to an agenda that features one day devoted to streaming and two that serve its original mission as an educational gathering for country broadcasters. The panels offer statistical information, psychological motivation and strategic study, while artists and labels descend on the gathering in obvious marketing/networking campaigns. Three Universal Music Group Nashville acts — Luke Bryan, Brothers Osborne and Keith Urban — performed new singles live for the first time during the label’s Feb. 29 lunch showcase at the Ryman Auditorium. Megan Moroney entertained guests in a Girls Night Out event on Feb. 28 at the Graduate Hotel’s White Limozeen. And plenty of goodwill is generated in Downtown Nashville barroom conversations, one of the fundamentals of CRS that hasn’t changed all that much. One promoter said attendees party as hard as they ever did, “without the hookers and blow.”

“I get to go to a lot of conferences and conventions, and I have to say you guys really put the happy in happy hour,” Smith Geiger executive vp of digital media strategies Andrew Finlayson said as he unveiled this year’s CRS research project during the morning of Feb. 29. “I appreciate anybody showing up for a session before noon, after a big night like that.”

The study, focused on the influence of country stations and on-air talent, found that personalities make listeners more likely to tune in for longer periods, providing a sense of connection with the station, its clients and others in the community. AI, once mastered, has the potential to free talent to focus more on that audience connection, while the desire for authenticity brings its own freedom.

“When you’re authentic, you don’t have to be perfect,” Finlayson said. “You don’t have to worry about making a mistake.”

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