Bucky Covington, Lyric Street's "GPS", radio, and the road ahead (updated)

(We're still on an indefinite semi- hiatus here at Buckymania-- my new job's got my hands pretty full! But in light of today's news from Music Row, it seemed an old-fashioned "group hug" post was in order...)

One of my favorite writers recently made a perfectly high-tech, yet timeless philosophical analogy...life comes with its own GPS system, more or less. Think about the GPS in your car--if you miss an exit, hit a closed street or take a wrong turn, your GPS doesn't agonize with you, berate you or say anything sarcastic to you. It just determines where you are now, and with a quick "recalculating" announcement, gives you a different, alternate way to get from Point A to Point B.

Well, today there was a definite detour in Nashville--Lyric Street Records is closing, and for the fans of its many talented artists, including Bucky Covington, some recalculating is in order. Fortunately, we've got good news about the momentum of Bucky's current single, "A Father's Love", via Country Aircheck: Lyric Street's VP/Promotion Kevin Herring told the magazine that despite the impending closure, it'll be "business as usual" at radio with all the label's artists and releases. (Country Aircheck further notes that the label's planned shuttering "does not affect the imprint's current and future plans at radio as the promotion staff remains largely intact"--music to our ears.)

So what can we do while our collective industry-watching GPS is "recalculating"? The best move for the moment, unsurprisingly, is to support the living daylights out of Bucky's current single. Whether Bucky stays with the Disney Music Group as part of another imprint, joins another label or spends some time between signings, it's vital that we help keep his profile high and keep the excellent music from I'm Alright on the front burner. (A personal note here...from what I've heard so far, Bucky's sophomore CD is chock-full o'hits. It's going to be pretty easy to support!)


Bucky Covington was interviewed by Fox 17 during American Idol "Idol Gives Back", 4/14; photo via Second Harvest Food Bank (2HarvestMidTN on Twitter) at Twitpic.

We'll be hitting the request lines, enjoying Bucky's live shows and sharing word-of-mouth raves, as always. Even better, we'll be backed by Bucky's strong management team (including mentor Mark Miller, who has been through the label-changing process a few times himself.)

All in all, once the shock wears off, it's easy to see this Lyric Street closing detour as just that--a detour. We Bucky Covington fans may or may not be looking at an alternate route to that "Point B"--the 20-plus year career Bucky's said he wanted--but we know for sure that between his formidable talent (on stage and in the studio), his strong work ethic, and his devoted and loyal audience, it's going to be a wild and beautiful ride, no matter which street we take to get there.

Keep the faith, y'all!

(Updated April 15th: Bucky Covington will be staying on with Disney Music Group. See this post and CMT News for more details.)