Luke Combs and Maren Morris Join NPR Music’s Ann Powers for Discussion on Accountability and The Future of Country Music During CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience

(Nashville, Tenn. – Feb. XX, 2021) CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience will host a special session, sponsored by AllAccess.com, featuring two of Country Music’s newest, most prominent trailblazers, 2020 CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, Luke Combs, and 2020 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Maren Morris. During a rare and exclusive Q&A session, to be held Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. CT, Combs and Morris will open a conversation into how their roles as artists matter in the changing culture of Country music.  

Ann Powers, NPR Music's critic and correspondent and the Nashville correspondent for WXPN’s World Café, is set to moderate. Powers, Combs and Morris will discuss what Country music means in light of it’s complicated and often problematic past and how artists can hold themselves accountable in helping shape a genre that is as diverse as America itself.

Morris and Combs make up part of the expanded, four-day CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience agenda that is now available for viewing on the CRS 2021 pre-event site here. When visiting the site, attendees can now add agenda items directly to their calendars.     

CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience is filled with many of Country Radio Seminar’s most anticipated events, including educational panels, virtual networking, and workshops designed to provide instant, actionable takeaways. The event continues to be the ultimate Country music showcase. Every registration includes access to the 2021 New Faces of Country Music® Show, featuring performances by Tenille Arts, Travis Denning, Hardy, Ashley McBryde, and Matt Stell; “Amazon Music Presents: Country Heat at CRS,” headlined by Tim McGraw (Big Machine Records) and performances by Kameron Marlowe (Columbia Nashville), Priscilla Block (Mercury Nashville), Shy Carter (Warner Music Nashville), and Track45 (Stoney Creek Records); Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley featuring Thomas Rhett and Special Guests, Rhett Akins and Parker Welling; and two label lunchtime performances, sponsored by Warner Music Nashville and UMG Nashville. As announced yesterday, the Warner Music Nashville luncheon will be headlined by Dan + Shay with additional performances by Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Drew Parker, Ian Munsick, Michael Ray, Robyn Ottolini, and Shy Carter.

Country music superstar Luke Bryan will appear at the annual “CRS Artist Interview,” sponsored by BMI.

The first-ever Streaming Summit will feature a unique, intimate fireside chat with Kevin Allocca, Head of Culture & Trends for YouTube. It will be an entire day dedicated to industry professionals and platform experts providing insights on trends, strategies, and best practices to optimize digital assets and streaming platforms.

The annual CRS Research project will focus on how Country listening behaviors have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the “new normal” for the Country music industry means. This important study will be conducted and presented by NuVoodoo, and is designed to provide useful, tangible takeaways for all attendees.

Scheduled panels include PPP: Post-Pandemic Playbook, 21 Promotions in ’21, Talk Data To Me, Your 24/7 Brand, and TLC: Talent Loving Coaching, and ‘Til The Wellness Runs Dry: How to Handle the Anxiety of the Music Business with Elizabeth Porter, Founder and President of Entertainment Health Services. Porter will explain how anxiety affects us and will offer clues to identify workplace triggers while providing tips on how to be the best you for yourself, and others. More details surrounding panels and workshops are available here. 

CRS is excited to provide CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience radio attendees with more artist content than ever before. Anyone in radio with a full CRS 2021 registration will have full access to artist liners from every major label, in addition to exclusive, carefully curated artist interview content available in audio and video form, for stations to use on air, on websites, or social platforms.  

Registration for CRS 2021: The Virtual Experience is $199 per person and is available for purchase at www.CountryRadioSeminar.com.  Country Radio Broadcasters have also made available an Unemployment, Student, and Young Professional rate (here).  Registrants will need to select the rate they are applying for as the registration type to be considered for the discounted rate.  Contact Ashley Bourque at (615) 329-2615 or ashley@crb.org for any questions about the application.