EVP/GM, Warner Music Nashville

What’s the difference between how you tackle a conventional superstar like Blake Shelton and a new-guard artist like Hunter Hayes or Brett Eldredge?

Established superstar acts have plentiful opportunities presented to them. The challenge is balancing the time and artist availability in order to make certain we’re selecting the best looks for these artists. In the case of newer breaking artists, there are not as may opportunities presented initially, so the challenge is finding the exposure in order to drive bigger and better opportunities through the course of their career development.

Warner Nashville has also not shied away from the unconventional artists. Ashley Monroe has had some pretty strong critical/awards success. Now you’ve got The Last Bandoleros coming. Even a Frankie Ballard could fall into this realm. What do you look for in designing strategy for these folks? And is the execution different?

We pride ourselves on the diversity of our roster, and we customize our strategies to suit each of them in order to serve them all creatively.

What’s the biggest hurdle or stumbling block facing you?

In many cases, the country fan is slower to adopt and accept new ways of discovering and consuming music. Physical and digital sales are declining, and the rise in streaming for our genre has yet to reach a level where it can make up for that loss. We’re passionate about finding a way to bridge that gap.