CRS Announces Digital Music Summit Details

CRS has unveiled details surrounding its upcoming Digital Music Summit at CRS, which will kick off the three-day event March 13 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.

Five educational sessions are planned for this year’s Opening Day, including informative discussions surrounding web3, NFTs, and emerging next-gen platforms.

“This year’s Digital Music Summit is a can’t-miss day rich with actionable intel and information for pros in all areas of the digital music industry,” shares the Chairman of the CRS 2023 Agenda Committee, Joey Tack (WIVK/Knoxville).

Educational sessions and featured panelists include:

Web3, NFTs, and Virtual Worlds: Beyond The Hype: This session will explore Web3, NFT’s, virtual worlds like “the metaverse,” while demonstrating how artists use these platforms to create new revenue streams and build them into their brand portfolios. Panelists include Zach Bair (VNUE), Chris McMurtry (Pex), and Sean Peace (SongVest). Noah Itman, Digital Music News‘ Chief Revenue Officer, will lead the panel.

Sweet Streams (Are Made of These): Executives from leading Digital Service Providers (DSPs) will show artists and managers what they can control on streaming platforms, how to set new releases up for success, and answer… how do you get on a playlist? Panelists include Johnny Chiang (Pandora) and Rachel Whitney (Spotify). Tim Foisset (Warner Music Nashville) will moderate the panel.

Reach Out: Meeting Listeners Where They Are: With fans today consuming music on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Streaming Services, and Radio, this panel will look at non-traditional methods for meeting fans on these platforms while highlighting tips for increasing engagement and other platform trends. Speakers will include Jade Driver (Crowd Surf) and Kristen Reed (UMG Nashville).

How They Built It: “Fancy Like” and Its Path To No. 1:  A case study of how Walker Hayes’ smash-hit, “Fancy Like,” snowballed into a No. 1, and how artists can leverage all aspects of media to achieve a hit and an engaged audience. Panelists: Katie McCartney (Monument Records), Robert Carlton (SMACKSongs), Marissa Turk (SMACKSongs), and Emily Cohen Belote (Amazon Music).

Flex-Ability – Marketing Without a Map: Panelists will dissect three album releases scheduled for March-April 2020 and observe how they were able to pivot during unforeseen circumstances. Panelists are Lucia Kaminsky (Head of Digital for Sandbox), Clark Mims Tedesco (VP of Artist Development for Warner Music Nashville), and Doug Phillips (Head of Digital for Q-Prime), along with Cameo Carlson (Mtheory) as moderator.

In addition to the educational sessions, the one-day, all-day Digital Music Summit will also include the Warner Music Nashville kickoff luncheon, an interactive conversation with Garth Brooks, Amazon Music Presents: Country Heat at CRS 2023, and the third annual ‘Paddle Royale’ ping-pong tournament, where artists will face off against high-profile industry leaders.

More agenda details surrounding the remainder of CRS 2023 will be released soon.

Registration for CRS 2023 is open available through CountryRadioSeminar.com. Single-day passes are also being made available for purchase. Day passes are now available on the CRS 2023 registration page (here) and will also be available for purchase on-site.