SVP Promotion, Warner Music Nashville

Herring started in radio in 1981 as a production assistant for AOR station WWWW-FM Detroit back in the days when Howard Stern was the morning guy. When the station flipped to Country, Herring flipped with it, securing an overnight on-air spot and working his way up to MD. He began his promotion career as a regional for Mercury Nashville in 1987 and moved to Nashville in 1991 as National Director. He did subsequent stints at Disney’s Lyric Street and EMI. As SVP National Promotion at Warner Music Nashville, Herring oversees all three promotion teams: WMN, WAR, and WEA.

How is launching a project different today that it was five or even three years ago and how different is it now to successfully build and close records?
Launching projects at Country radio isn’t as different as building and closing them is. We still use many tried-and-true methods of getting the artists one-on-one with radio programmers and building the brand from the ground up by developing a bond that, in many cases, lasts for a country artist’s entire career. On the other hand, building the airplay story is becoming more and more complicated. For those of us who have done promotion before monitored airplay and cellphones, this is as different as riding a horse to work and driving a BMW. Today, promotion people have to be much more than a good time at dinner—although that too still helps.

Why do you feel country artists’ relationships with radio are so much stronger than at any other format?
I think the bond created when an artist is launched at radio via the radio tour is another big reason. The relationship starts early, and many, if not most, work hard to maintain those relationships. Radio programmers have come to expect a certain amount of personal contact from artists. It’s not at all unusual for artists and programmers to have personal cells and social info. I don’t think that’s as prevalent in other formats.