Don’t Do That Again

It was a business decision, and when someone offers you a lot of money it is hard to turn down.

There are career dates and there are money dates. Every agent and, hopefully, manager knows the difference. The ACM Awards show in Vegas was a money date. One of the two prime time Country music infomercial shows played to a big audience at a football stadium, but how many people actually saw it on the Prime Video streaming service?

Yes, ratings have crashed for award shows and will likely stink for the upcoming Oscars. “Why” is not a one answer fits all situation.

First, the ACM “TV” production looked pretty good considering all the production challenges of putting on a show like that in a football stadium. Sound was better than many award shows done in far smaller buildings! (How did they do that?) There was a pretty “big name” talent deficit. Good reasons and not so good reasons for that.

The labels want their baby acts, the next big things, exposed, and don’t care so much about the “catalog” acts. The new kids got exposed, mission accomplished.

TV ratings for a wide release need new blood for sure, but need the name recognition, the TV Q, to get the people to watch the show in the first place. There was no “just happened to be channel surfing” with this streaming viewing location.

Without a recognized ratings service measuring, will we really know if people watched? That’s to be seen.

Would love to see the numbers -- the bump in streams or sales -- after the show, like Lainey Wilson’s show bump. Kelly Clarkson is a highlight for sure, if maybe not a sales bump. Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood sold their song. Bottom line, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Do you really think millions got on Prime Video and watched two hours of the ACMs? What’s your gut say?

Eighty thousand people saw Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in Texas Sunday night, not at ACMs. Jon Pardi got 70-plus thousand in Houston Saturday night, and Cody Johnson got the same earlier in the week. Those fans paid a lot more than $8.99 to see those stars.

Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert and Darius Rucker were in Europe. Not sure where Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Shania Twain, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire and George Strait were. (Vince Gill was with The Eagles—excused absence.)

The show just didn’t seem important. It felt like a big concert at a football stadium. Host Dolly Parton gave it some kind of importance. How would it have been without her?

CMA, please don’t ignore the ones not at the top of the charts right this second. Bring the whole family in. Force ABC to stream the show as well as run it on regular TV. Make it available to the widest possible audience. Put Peyton Manning and Brad Paisley on ESPN5, and they can do a running commentary. Like “Monday Night Football,” be creative! Show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. Best of broadcasting, best of online, best of the Country music family