The 2024 Country Radio Seminar was held at the Omni Nashville Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. February 28 through March 1. The primary goal of the CRS is to provide networking opportunities educational sessions, and industry insights to help professionals navigate the ever-evolving country music landscape. Attendees can expect to learn about industry trends, best practices for radio programming and promotion, and strategies for building successful careers in country music.
One of the highlights of the CRS is the opportunity to see live performances by both established and up-and-coming country artists. Record labels often showcase their latest talent during special productions and events throughout the conference.
After being selected and announced in December 2023, five up and coming artists were selected to perform at the 2024 New Faces of Country Music Show which closed the 2024 Country Radio Seminar.
Taste of Country reported on the five performances.
Corey Kent was the first one to take the stage. Kent was destined for a music career from an early age. He first took to the stage at age 11 as the lead singer for a Western swing band. He hit the jackpot when he got to open for legends like Roy Clark and The Oak Ridge Boys.
Kent chose to open with a song from his 2020 album From the West, "Gold." After growing up influenced by various genres, Kent used his talents to incorporate rock elements into his show and performed his first number one hit "Wild as Her" along with a new song "This Heart."
Second on the stage was George Birge . While he is new to the country music scene as a solo artist, Birge was part of the duo Waterloo Revival from 2013-2021.
Birge was celebrating his first number one hit, "Mind on You," from the 2023 debut EP of the same name, when he took the stage. The veteran of the group went on to perform "Damn Right I Do" and "Cowboy Songs" to the delight of the crowd.
Conner Smith may just be 23 years old, but he is already a seasoned veteran in the Nashville elite songwriting community. Smith also chose to perform the namesake song of his album Smoky Mountains , to kick off his performance.
Smith has been experiencing success with the song "Creed Will Rise" and performed it on stage with the poise of a veteran. Smith was the only Country artist on Pandora's Ten List 2022, along with getting recognized from MusicRow Next Big Thing and CMT Listen Up 2023.
Smith will be found at the C2C Festival in March where he will join CMA's Introducing Nashville lineup for multiple performances across the U.K. and Europe.
Having a catalog boasting 140 million streams, Dillon Carmichael was next on stage. The 6'4" mountain of a man is staying true to his roots and following his own style.
Carmichael was as Taste of Country put it, "the closest thing to traditional country music," while still adding in his own touch. He played a total of four songs including his current single, "Drinking Problems."
Carmichael has a rich history in country music with his uncles being John Michael Montgomery and Eddie Montgomery. He is touring in 2024 across six countries and has 17 upcoming concerts.
Megan Moroney commanded the stage and took what could have been a deflating experience and turned it into inspiration. Moroney chose to read a list of "mean" tweets about herself. She then performed "Lucky" and "I'm Not Pretty."
Her confidence oozes out of her while on stage. She finished with "Tennessee Orange." To quote Taste of Country, "She closed her set with her viral breakthrough song, "Tennessee Orange," leaving the audience with an undeniable home run of a performance that will undoubtedly linger in everyone's mind as she moves forward in new work."
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