Comments on: Dwight Yoakam Slated to Make 24th Appearance on The Tonight Show

By: Stacy Harris

Stacy Harris — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:00:36 +0000

Please give proper credit to Edward Morris. Ed was the original source for your item on “A Guitar and a Pen.”

I gather that Robert Hicks’ source was a TENNESSEAN Sunday Showcase feature on Hazel Smith in which Smith discussed her affair with Bill Monroe.

Stacy Harris
Publisher/Executive Editor
Stacy’s Music Row Report
http://www.countrymusicreport.com/Stacyharris.htm

By: C. Eric Banister

C. Eric Banister — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:23:08 +0000

I don’t know, M.C., on one hand you are right, it is a way for a label to minimize losses. But on the other hand it is better than the “old” system of shelving an album never to be heard. At least this way fans can hear the music, the artist can still promote the music at their shows, in interviews, on their facebook and myspace pages (things all artists should be doing anyway).

You could also look at someone like Jamey Johnson who was dropped from one label, released his own digital album and was picked up by another label due to the interest drummed up.

By: M.C.

M.C. — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:08:08 +0000

For now, though, “digital only” seems to be a Nashville label’s way of saying, “We already paid for an album’s worth of material, but the singles aren’t working, so we’ll put it out for little cost on the web, drop the promotion plan, cut our losses, and better luck next time.” It can’t be promising news for an artist.

By: Jim Malec

Jim Malec — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:43:02 +0000

Get used to it–before you know it, almost everything will be digital only.

By: Jordan Stacey

Jordan Stacey — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:54:03 +0000

I loved that interview, and the song that Sarah just wrote sounds interesting, knowing her writing style.

Rick: I also noticed that recent trend of releasing the digital but not the physical. I had to buy Susan Haynes’s album as a digital after I couldn’t find the physical. Another you forgot to mention was Jennifer Hanson who’s new album will be released as a digital only. I don’t like this trend, I can’t buy Jypsi’s album because none of the digital retailers in canada are selling it.

By: C. Eric Banister

C. Eric Banister — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:52:10 +0000

Rick, I think you might have misunderstood, Buxton is saying it is mainly men in the Program Manager position at radio who are trying to guess what the women audience wants to hear.

By: Rick

Rick — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:45:35 +0000

Wow, thanks to that link of the American Songwriter joint interview with Sarah Buxton and Rivers Rutherford. That was a really interesting read. I love the fact Sarah just bought 2,000 vinyl records and is sorting through them looking for singer/songwriter types, and her musical tastes head in the retro direction. I’m surprised she thinks the country radio audience is mostly men who don’t want to hear anything new. Sarah, its WOMEN who comprise the vast majority of the Top 40 country radio audience who don’t seem to be adventurous when it comes to new artists and music. Its nice Sarah has been back in the spotlight due to her ACM nomination, but what happens next when that is over….

(PS – She’ll be performing with Dierks Bentley on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday night May 15th.)

I have a four song EP from Carter’s Chord and they are pretty good. This concept of a digital album release followed by a physical CD later is a potential career sinkhole when the label decides not to release a physical CD after download sales fall below expectations. The talented and lovely Susan Haynes was one of the first country artists to fall into this hole back in 2006. Recently Jypsi’s debut physical CD was announced as being postponed indefinitely and I expect the same thing to befall Carter’s Chord. If both the downloadable and CD versions are not released on the same day, the odds of the CD ever being released have been slim thus far……