Wanted: One Breakout Artist

Staff shakeups at the labels, no shortage of new artists in the warmup area and in the dugout. Sales need to go up and some new blood is wanted to generate some excitement.

Mission accomplished with Chris Stapleton, who is #1 on the album chart again this week. If past history is any indication, a breakout star can lift up the water all around. Garth did and so did Taylor Swift. Can Chris? Maybe...

The baby acts are out opening shows for the headliners and some are getting attention. The ACMs are the next big event and it will be very interesting to see who breaks out from the pack.

This week a big disturbance in the "Force" as the Dega Jam threw in the towel. It was the third, maybe fourth festival to check out. People are looking for answers. The economy? Weak lineups? Who knows? There are plenty of success stories unfolding with ticket sales all over the country. The failures were new events or those trying to go for a second year. It will be important to see if any other shoe drops. Country music is strong on the road. Paisley just took in $4.9 million on a short tour and Shelton did almost $3 million in a couple of nights. Right places at the right time.

There are a lot of shows mid-year looking for ticket buyers. Hope there is enough money to go around so they all can do well. I know raises are few and expenses are growing ... you can't help but think the good music lovers can't go to every show they would like to. But it is the road where artists survive. So smart touring will win in 2016. Some tours may also get hurt...

New music is coming from the anchor artists in the format in the next few months: FGL, Chesney, Paisley, Shelton, Urban and Shelton and maybe even Aldean. So things are going to pick up. Chris Stapleton is back in the studio but a lot is riding on that next album. The marketplace wants it sooner than later.

This should be a musically exciting year but what kind of music is the big question ... will the group chase Stapleton's style or the Bro style? More trucks and beer call songs or...? Can't wait to see what the audience wants.

And did everyone see that the Music Row roundabout is getting a huge dancing waters fountain. No musical interaction is planned but the drawings look like the fountains take up almost all of the green space on that island. Anything to mask what may be one of the more stark pieces of public art in the world.