NASHVILLE 2023 SPECIAL: MANAGERS SEARCHING FOR THE MOMENTS

At a time when young country artists are having unprecedented success—Morgan! Luke! Kane! Zach! Jelly! Lainey!—the manager’s role has never been more critical. It’s not just about opportunities but platforms; it’s not just about a massive launch but extending the gaze. It’s not just about taking commissions but creating long-term opportunities and cash flow that continues.

What was once a basic equation—radio + touring = career—has now turned into something akin to calculus pulled through trigonometry. The good news: Today’s managers are good at working the variables, building teams and creating meaningful impact.

Take Red Light’s Mandelyn Monchick, who’s helming Lainey Wilson’s supernova ascent. For the woman whose “Bell Bottom Country” tag was designed to quantify who she was in a digestible term, there were two goals beyond writing honest music and working hard: make sure all efforts reinforce the narrative and let the music drive.

“I like throwing as much as I can against the wall that can be tied back to something special about the artist, whether it’s their talents, musicianship, artistry, or personality,” she offers. “To use Lainey as an example, it doesn’t matter if you discovered her from a music release, an awards-show performance, on tour, Yellowstone or a viral moment.

“Over time, we made continuous impressions that sparked more curiosity, which I believe led to further affinity for all facets she embodies. It’s more about creating a dynamic story that makes the artist stand out as a whole.”

Dynamic stories may not seem like the driver for Big Loud’s impressive roster of breakout talent. But leaning into the publishing side of the company, Greg Thompson asserts, “We are big fans of developing artists through publishing as writers. We look at guys like ERNEST or HARDY, who are tremendous writers and developed hits for other artists that eventually lead to their own career in the artist spotlight.

Lauren Watkins, one of our young developing artists, has tremendous credibility because of her writing skills already. Live becomes essential, depending on the act, because it takes that to the people. For Jake Worthington, seeing is believing, and his brand of country requires people to see it live, and feel the authenticity of the classic style in a young soul.”

Narrative, connection, touring and social media define polymath Jelly Roll. It’s all in for John Meneilly, who also manages Joey Bad Ass, Sara Bareilles and Lil Peep’s estate. Calling from Sardinia after a whirlwind launch of Jelly’s Whitsitt Chapel, “No one would choose this career path: thousands of shows, hundreds of songs to ultimately arrive at success in his late 30s. But touring a lot, he built a very strong base. Everything is driven by the internet, without radio—the virality of songs. But when people see him, it becomes real. He’s an empath, and feels what people are feeling, and they know it—and he shows them he’s felt it, too.

“People cry at his shows; he cries at his shows sometimes. But ultimately, knowing the songs come from a real place, even this specific kind country that draws on the past, he was raised on it. It suits his story... It all comes together and is connected because it’s real. ‘Save Me,’ there was no doubting that once it hit Facebook and YouTube.”

The Core Entertainment’s Chief Zaruk recognizes the bottomless social-media pit but embraces the direct line to establishing narrative. Stressing management of the medium at the start, he explains, “It can seem overwhelming to new artists with so many platforms, but you just have to have a plan, be focused and realize it’s a full-time job to begin with. Once you can build a fan base, then streaming and DSPs really come into play to help drive and support your campaign, which then leads to touring and ticket sales.”

Neon Coast founder Martha Earls, who’s behind Kane Brown’s unconventional rise, believes even more than external artist development, it’s about creating an unbreakable connection with the fans. She marvels, “Fan/artist development and loyalty, no one can do that but the artist. It happens through a deep connection with not only the music, but the individual themselves. The direct connection to the fans is the relationship we encourage our artists to nurture the most—and that’s why they have such strong and loyal fan bases.”

Haley McLemore, who manages Maddie & Tae, Gavin DeGraw and Brett Young at Otter Creek Entertainment, shares that belief in deeper connection. “With social media being such a driver, it’s about giving the music in multiple forms almost continually, and giving the fans access to the artist’s life, who they are, even what they are doing daily. It’s not reality in the true sense, but it’s often what fans perceive artist life to be.

“The trick is figuring how to also create a lasting career, since many acts haven’t had time to develop a live show— or a deeper sense of themselves. It can’t be about being famous.”

That live show is critical. Almost every manager cited touring. For Morris Higham Management’s Will Hitchcock, beyond the quality of Old Dominion’s songs, it was their willingness to get in a van that helped break them.

“Lots of moments can register on the Richter Scale, but I feel like touring remains the fundamental driver to turn new fans into believers,” he says. “It’s the most real and authentic way an artist can show who and what they’re about as people, through their music and in a moment. For us, people who come to the show walk away with a very strong connection to the guys, become lifelong fans and come back with their friends in a way that’s taken us from nightclubs to arenas.”

Make Wake’s dynamic Chris Kappy, who’s creating a management haven with Luke Combs, Niko Moon, Hailey Whitters and more, has seen it on all levels. “Luke is a world touring superstar, selling 50k+ in stadiums and having two songs in the Top 10 at Country radio,” Kappy points out. “Cooper Alan is 7m deep on TikTok, selling out 2,500 seaters. Niko Moon is a hybrid of social media and a die-hard fan base, selling out clubs across America. Finally, Flatland Cavalry is a juggernaut in Texas, who are now selling out shows all over with great media and a national base of passionate fans.

“The number one factor for all of these: a super-engaged fan base the artists support with undying devotion to delivering an experience only they can have together. That is where the magic happens. When the stage isn’t a barrier and we can have a moment when the show is more than entertainment, but an experience with each other… That’s the moment.”

For Bruce Kalmick of WHY&HOW, in partnership with Red Light, it’s the path not taken that serves as the special sauce. With a wildly diverse roster, he believes that the more unique, the more opportunities if you reach beyond the standard playbook.

“Subgenres are dominating the conversation. BRELAND, who has strong pop grounding, has managed to collaborate with almost all genres of music and slide into ‘Country’ play-lists while also becoming a headliner and festival favorite. Jelly Roll and HARDY are great examples, but I would lean harder into non-radio success stories like Tyler Childers, Koe Wetzel, Whiskey Myers, Colter Wall, Southall and Turnpike Troubadours if you want to understand what is truly built non-commercial.”

Recognizing that a moment may exist by nature of the artist defines ShopKeeper founder Marion Kraft, who took a need and created not just a brand extender but a reinforcement of Miranda Lambert’s persona. They also allowed fans to share a physical passion with the Texas songwriter/superstar.

“Real life should dictate what associations are valuable and true,” Kraft explains. “About 10 years into Miranda’s career, she had a hard time finding cowboy boots that were her style, more of a vintage look that were stylish as well as comfortable onstage. We started looking for a company to create a boot line, because of necessity.

“Her Idyllwind boot and clothing line is now exclusively available at Boot Barn nationwide. Miranda wears the boots for most of her performances. Some of the more custom boots for her Las Vegas residency and award shows are also part of her boot line; they just have more bling added! Idyllwind is a natural extension of Miranda’s lifestyle; whether at work or at home, she wears boots most of the time. But for the fans, they can have the same cool boots.”

Nothing makes Triple 8 founder George Couri happier than seizing those moments. “In the spring of last year, one of Corey Kent’s song started to spark,” he points out. “We poured the gas on and managed to get SXM’s The Highway, which then went from smaller playlists to the very biggest playlists on Apple, Pandora, Spotify, Amazon.

“Then we started sharing with big radio stations, who started playing ‘Wild As Her’ heavily as well: Dallas, Los Angeles and Denver were all on board, all without a record label. Then labels came at us. A few months later, we partnered with Sony, who leaned into what we were doing, and off we went.

“We went about Scotty McCreery the same way, starting on our own, waiting for the right time. He’s now had six massive hits and is selling out 3k-4k-seat venues. We didn’t wait for the industry to care; we built the moments and momentum—and capitalized on every one.”

Perhaps no one can speak to that more eloquently than Stefan Max, who manages Zach Bryan with Danny Kang. Kang, part of Lil Nas X’s rise, and Max are strong believers in forging your path authentically and respecting what works for others. “A rising tide lifts all boats,” Max writes. “There are different lanes with the growing country sphere and that speaks to how exciting the future of country music will be. You have traditionalists, like Zach, who long to revive classic timeless songwriting with no gimmicks. You have artists, like Jelly Roll, who do a great job fusing a heavier rock edge to country. Historically, the sound of country music has been controlled by radio. As more and more artists rely on streaming, what ‘country music’ is will ultimately be dictated by the fans.

“The sound of country music may experience progression and growth we haven’t seen before. As country continues to grow globally, these different lanes within country music will find their respective fans and grow the overall country sphere. It’s exciting. For Zach, radio has never been a primary path of exposure, He instead became one of the first country artists to fully leverage social media in the internet age.

“Our main drivers are maintaining consistent, direct, unfiltered dialogue with his fans on social media; that reflects the authenticity and quality of his releases which was key to developing an incredibly memorable live show. It’s maintained the focus on his songs.

“For Zach, this approach has kept fans more engaged than any brand deal or radio airplay could. It’s having the vision to see the right path for each artist. One size—or map—does not fit all.”

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