Tag: hot country

Spotify’s Enhanced Hot Country Playlist Brings the Heat at Nashville’s CMA Fest

May 24, 2018

The common thread among country music artists and fans is the ability to relate to the songs and stories that connect them. Songs about real people, real stories, and real lives. Spotify is committed to being the connection point for these shared experiences, and thanks to Spotify’s recently re-launched, enhanced Hot Country Playlist, country fans are now enjoying even more opportunities to connect with the stars of the genre.

June 7 to 10, tens of thousands of country music fans will descend on Nashville for the Country Music Association’s CMA Fest and will have the opportunity to experience the artist-fan community that Hot Country is fostering live and in-person. Whether you’re watching a live performance from your favorite rising country stars, listening to a new Spotify country playlist through the CMA Fest App, discovering the artist with whom you have the most in common, or making a playlist with the artist you love, Spotify will be on the ground highlighting the stories that connect the past, present, and future of country music community.

New Friends at Ole Red

Thursday through Sunday, members of the public can enjoy a stellar lineup of artists at Ole Red, Blake Shelton’s and Opry Entertainment Group’s highly anticipated new restaurant and music venue, and Spotify’s CMA Fest Headquarters. The packed lineup is curated in collaboration between Spotify, The Grand Ole Opry and Ole Red.

Some of the featured artists include:

  • Trio Midland, ACM New Group of the Year, who will be performing songs from their impressive debut album On the Rocks (Big Machine Records), which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums and features their hit debut No. 1 single “Drinkin’ Problem.”
  • Young country singer-songwriter Michael Ray, whose anticipated sophomore album Amos will be released June 1
  • Talented singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, five-time Grammy nominee and CMA Award winner Hunter Hayes
  • Canadian country singer and Canadian Country Music Awards’ Female Artist of the Year 2011, Tenille Townes, who recently signed a record deal with Columbia Nashville
  • American Idol runner-up and ACM Awards’ New Female Vocalist of the Year, Lauren Alaina, who topped the country charts in 2017
  • As well as Maddie & Tae, RaeLynn, Mitchell Tenpenny, Jimmie Allen, Cassadee Pope and many more.

For schedule and lineup updates at Ole Red see: visit www.olered.com/spotifyhotcountry.

Making the Most of the CMA Fest Partnership

Spotify has also partnered with CMA Fest to enhance the digital and music discovery experience for fans at the festival. Users who authenticate with Spotify in the CMA Fest mobile app will be able to stream music from each of the performing artists, and will have access to a breadth of co-curated playlists. Spotify users who access the app can generate a unique playlist of select CMA Fest artists, catered to their specific music tastes.

In addition to the app partnership, Spotify will be taking over CMA’s MusicStreaming Lounge on Friday June 8 at Xfinity Fan Fair X at Music City Center. Fans will have the opportunity to come by the lounge, discover Spotify’s new features, and make Spotify playlists in-person with Country artists performing at the festival.

Spotify’s participation at CMA Fest shows Spotify’s commitment to fostering growth in the Country Music audience across the platform and the world. Country fans, whether new or seasoned, young or old, can look forward to a Country Music-filled weekend, complete with new favorite songs, bands, music discovery knowledge, and a commitment from Spotify that no matter where they are, they’ll always have country music to take them home.

Spotify and Lifestyle + Entertaining Expert Kimberly Schlegel Whitman Concoct the Perfect Party Recipe—Music Plus Punch

May 3, 2018

An unforgettable party playlist and a delicious punch have a few things in common: The recipes are loose, variations are welcome, and it only takes one or two elements to make a hit.

In honor of this perfect pairing, Spotify partnered with lifestyle and entertaining expert Kimberly Schlegel Whitman for a tastemaker lunch in Dallas, Texas. There, guests celebrated Whitman’s new book, “Parties Around a Punch Bowl,” as well as the debut of Kim’s verified Spotify profile and custom “Hot Country” punchbowl recipe (shared below), named afterSpotify’s country music flagship playlist.

Guests including Amber Venz Box, founder of rewardStyle; Courtney Kerr of KERRently; Christina Lynch, founder of Mi Golandrina; Lisa More, founder of Cover Swim, and Rae Liu, co-founder of Leatherology, gathered at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek for a peppy, punch-filled luncheon and performance by country artist Tenille Townes.

Whether it’s mixed together, tasted, adjusted, or added to, “punch is an evolving concoction that continues to change until the party is over,” Kim declares in her book. According to the eight-time author and TV host, the punch bowl, that sparkling retro party staple, is back.

So have fun experimenting with the punch, because we have the music portion covered.

Scroll through the gallery below to relive the fun – and start planning your next fête.

Spotify’s Flagship Country Playlist, Hot Country Launches with Original Video Content from Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, plus a special performance from Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton

April 27, 2018

Country music may have gotten its start in Nashville, TN, but it has since expanded far beyond. For some time, country music fans around the world have been looking for a way to help them connect to the artists they love, discover new music, and share their love of the Country genre. With Spotify’s Hot Country Playlist—now enhanced with video—they may just find it.

Enhanced playlists, like the previously launched Rap Caviar and ¡Viva Latino!, combine music and video into a single view. This allows users to listen to their favorite audio tracks as well as watch interviews and music videos featuring their favorite artists. Enhanced playlists bring storytelling back to music discovery—a theme that country music emphasizes as well.

After enjoying the constantly refreshing playlist throughout the week, listeners can tune in every Friday to experience new and original country video interviews with an all-new Hot Country look and feel. First up: Grammy Award winner Keith Urban, who takes the wheel today with a feature cover story that coincides with the release of his new album, Graffiti U. On Hot Country, Keith gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his extensive guitar collection, discusses his love of playing in his new home studio, and dives into the inspiration behind his new album.

While reflecting on the Hot Country playlist, Keith Urban said; “Spotify has been an amazing partner, helping me to connect my music with people all over the planet. On their new Hot Country playlist people will not only hear Graffiti U, they’ll be able to come inside the studio with me and see a bit about the making of the album. Can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

According to Brittany Schaffer, Head of Artist and Label Marketing at Spotify’s Nashville office, the country music audience has been slower to adopt streaming than audiences of other genres. But, “country artists have been craving the attention of the streaming services to help bring the country audience into streaming and craving a deeper ability to connect with and expand their audiences,” she says. “The enhancement of the Hot Country playlist is Spotify’s first significant step in helping artists do just that.”

Schaffer also notes that the enhanced playlist is only the beginning of Spotify’s collaboration with the country industry. “Spotify is serious about making an impact in country music, and the launch of the Hot Country enhanced playlist is only the first step in showing that commitment,” she says. “This opportunity is opening new doors for current and potential listeners of country music, in Nashville and around the world. Our commitment doesn’t start and end with the launch of Hot Country.”

Through Hot Country and upcoming Spotify partnerships, fans can look forward to behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with their favorite country artists such as Keith Urban, Kacey Musgraves, and Kenny Chesney. From a tour of Keith Urban’s new state-of-the-art home recording studio in Nashville and the making of Kenny Chesney’s stadium tour to video footage from Kacey Musgraves’ Fan-First high tea in London or Justin Timberlake x Chris Stapleton’s Spotify Premium event recording of “Say Something” at the Roundhouse in London, Spotify is dedicated to telling the stories of country’s biggest names.

To bring more Hot Country to its more than 4.5 million followers worldwide, the enhanced playlist feature will also launch in four additional markets outside the U.S.: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Spain (in addition to the UK, Sweden, and Latin America). According to John Marks, Programming Head of Country Music at Spotify, the audience for country music will only keep growing. “There are multiple awakenings happening right now. Streaming is opening a global market. There’s been a hybridizing of other international music into the country playlists, which is opening people’s eyes and minds to country music in other countries. Launching in those markets—which have very active fan bases—will start to speed up the process.”

Marks, who has a long history working in Nashville with country industry and artists, is enthusiastic about the partnership—and he’s not the only one, he says. “The Nashville music industry and Nashville artists have really embraced this idea out of the shoot. We have some big stars on board with Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney, and there are plenty others on queue. It’s really been gratifying to see how quickly and how nimbly everyone in the industry has supported this idea of enhanced playlists and to see it all come together.”

Check out the new Hot Country playlist here.