Nashville: From Country Town to Music City Powerhouse, According to Big Loud CEO

Country music has taken over the charts, and Nashville is no longer just a country town. Seth England, CEO of Big Loud, sits down on Billboard On The Record for a conversation about how his label has helped shape the modern country landscape and how artists like Morgan Wallen, Florida Georgia Line and HARDY have driven the genre’s rise. England breaks down how Nashville has become a hub for songwriters across genres, what actually drives hit-making today and why artist development remains one of the most important pillars at Big Loud.

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Host:

Kristin Robinson

Executive Producers:

Diona DaCosta

Jade Watson

Produced By:

Kayla Forman

Mateo Vergara

Edited By:

Rachel Derbyshire

Seth England:

I don’t think this country bubble has burst.

Kristin Robinson:

Has country radio evolved? Has it become kind of like pop, where it’s the end destination, or is it still breaking songs?

Previously, the gatekeepers chose what was popular in our genre. Now the fans tell the gatekeepers what to playlist. You don’t ANR artists by telling them their stuff’s not good.

How do you expect Nashville to be changed after, inevitably, pop moves onto some other genre?

Country music is no stranger to the artist recording an outside song they didn’t write. There’s stories of people feeling like the manager got left high and dry. And he’s like, “Hey, Seth, this is Kenny Chesney.” I was like, “No, it’s not.” And he’s like, “No, it’s really, it’s Kenny. I don’t- I- I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to get you to believe me.”

At this point, country music is pop music. It doesn’t take a music industry insider to tell you that. You can just see it everywhere. Post Malone, Beyonce, Chappell Roan, all of them have released country songs in the last few years. But behind the scenes, in the music business, this is happening even more than you might think. Coastal labels are competing with Nashville ones to sign country talent, pop writers are flying over to Music City, trying to break into writing sessions, and all of that is changing the business over there. So, today, I’m joined by Seth England, CEO at Big Loud, the music company behind Morgan Wallen, Florida Georgia Line, Hardy, and more. Together, we’ll go inside the country boom and talk more about how Big Loud is standing out from the pack in a time when competition for country talent is bigger than ever. So, without further ado, please welcome to the show Seth England. Seth England, welcome to On The Record. Thanks for being here.

Thank you for having me.

Keep watching for more!

_Originally reported by [Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/video/how-did-nashville-become-music-hottest-hub-seth-england/)._