Clay Hunnicutt: How to Get the Attention of a Record Label
Made It In Music: Interviews With Artists, Songwriters, And Music Industry Pros - A podcast by Full Circle Music: A Record Label & Songwriting / Music Production / Publishing Company
Clay Hunnicutt, who ran Nashville’s WSIX, helped launch The Bull in Atlanta, and is now President of Big Loud Records, takes us through his journey of how he made it in music.
Interning at a radio station in Chattanooga sparked Clay’s love for the music business. Ever since, he has been non-stop using his creativity and taking every opportunity thrown his way to get to where he is now.
“It’s about taking risks… I call it stepping off the edge”
He moved to Cleveland and turned a radio station 10th in the market into 1st. He then moved to Nashville to run WSIX, Nashville’s #1 for New Country hosted by iHeart Radio. Later, he went to Atlanta to help launch The Bull, another #1 for New Country.
“It’s about the creation process- I get bored after 2-3 years. Once you’ve done things, you need to do something different – you need to create and have more energy”
Big Loud records is only four years old and has already had major success and signed several major artists. He currently works with artists such as Morgan Wallen, Chris Lane, and Jake Owen.
“There’s no better feeling than watching even [artists like] Jake Owen sing the songs we worked on with them and having the fans sing it back to them”
What do you think it takes to get a label’s attention?
Clay shares the top things he looks for when signing an artist:
- Their voice
- Their “Star Power”
- Their metrics (following, social media)
Clay also shares tips on how to appropriately pitch yourself. He advises to get to know as many people as you can – it’s all about who you know. Don’t be afraid to do anything – even taking out the trash. Lastly, work your butt off!
Clay also dives deep into the start of his career at Big Loud Records. He explains how to build a great team, how to think with the future in mind, and what the early season of Big Loud Records looked like.
“There was a vision, there was a belief. People really want to make an impact”
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