FISHIN’ IN THE STREAM WITH AMAZON MUSIC

We presented Michelle Tigard Kammerer, Head of Country Music for Amazon Music, with all sorts of questions about the specifics of country streaming on the platform. For some reason, she decided to answer them.

Where is country music in the streaming landscape?

Country is a leading genre for Amazon Music, a cornerstone of the service. Over the last couple of years, we’ve executed numerous campaigns surrounding the music of both chart-topping and emerging artists. Developing artists have been skyrocketing to the top of the charts, and it’s been so exciting to come up with new ways to introduce them to new audiences around the world. The data consistently shows that country fans love our genre-specific programming and initiatives.

Since the launch of the original “Country Heat” station in October 2016, the overall Country Heat brand―playlist and stations―has amassed more than 18 billion streams total in the U.S.

What sort of initiatives has the platform used to cultivate the country audience?

Amazon Music has been a top destination for country music fans for over 20 years. Our team actively engages them with a combination of original programming, livestream events, editorial content, including video and podcasts, and our exclusive Amazon Original songs. And we’ve optimized their listening experience through high-quality sound and voice powered by Alexa.

Which acts have broken through?

After being selected for our Breakthrough program, artists like BRELAND have increased their global monthly streams month after month. Bailey Zimmerman’s Religiously. The Album. broke streaming records―its first-day and first-week streams exceeded those of any debut country album ever on Amazon Music globally. We’ll continue to innovate on behalf of artists and fans to make sure music discovery is at the forefront of our country programming.

What’s your clearest indicator of country’s growth?

One of the things we’re most excited about is our growth outside the U.S.; country streams are growing in Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Australia, among other major territories.

We’ve noticed that the long tail is particularly pronounced in country; fans of the genre seem to add to their playlists but not subtract, so songs from several years ago are still streaming well. Can you speak to this?

Again, I have to point to “Country Heat,” which has become our flagship playlist and is consistently one of the most popular on Amazon Music. It reaches millions of customers around the world and has proven to be a true trendsetter. Our new-release-oriented lists are also crucial, but so are our playlists for holidays, working out, summer, etc. We’re all about selection, providing music experiences for all occasions.