Birds & Bees: “We’re a medium that programs in formats, but the audience doesn’t listen that way anymore," said iHeartMedia's Alissa Pollack at Friday's (3/20) “Embracing The Change: Country Is Cross Pollinating (And That’s Okay)" panel. “Country music isn’t a monolith,” said Amazon Music's Emily Cohen Belote, who added that artists appreciate the opportunity to be embraced in new genres “to grow and evolve, not be put in a box.” While the door to crossovers may be cracked, Casual Records Founder/CEO Heather Vassar said, “I wish it was more widely open.”

Panelists also spoke about the importance of radio, with Vassar saying she’s lost out on signings from artists too singularly focused on radio airplay, noting that the days of always going to radio first to break an artist are “shifting.” Pollack countered that while radio may not be perceived as “the cool kids” anymore, it still “creates the superstars. I challenge people to name one artist who hasn’t had a radio hit and is a household name.”