“You Gonna Fly” for Keith Urban passes one million spins mark
Kudos to my friends LOCASH (Preston Brust and Chris Lucas) who received the prestigious BMI Million-Air Award from David Preston, BMI’s Senior Director, Writer-Publisher Relations. The Award recognizes the achievement of one million-plus spins on the radio. They received the award in a laid-back ceremony on the BMI rooftop patio, Tuesday May 23. Although they are successful recording artists in their own right, in this case Preston and Chris received the award as songwriters (along with ASCAP writer Jaren Johnston) for writing the song “You Gonna Fly” recorded by Keith Urban.
The BMI “Million-Air” Award is given to songwriters, composers, and publishers whose songs accumulate to over one million U.S. broadcast performances. The designation has been bestowed upon many of BMI’s iconic songwriters, including Sir Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, Isaac Hayes and Roy Orbison. One million continuous performances of a song of the average length of 3 minutes represents 5.7 years of continuous airplay.
We enjoyed a great evening on BMI’s rooftop, thanks to sponsors George Dickel, Sam Adams beer and Texas Road House whose catering provided a whole bunch of tasty bites. The folks from George Dickel were handing out samples of Tennessee whiskey from their Tullahoma distillery.
‘We’ve matured in the business’
Preston and Chris, as Reviver Records recording artists, formerly known as the LoCash Cowboys, have moved on to bigger and better things since their name change. They are certainly not newcomers to the music scene. As they say on their website: “We’ve been doing this for ten years now, and I sort of feel like we have grown up a little bit in the business. We’ve matured in the business, and learned how it all works. We just wanted to simplify things and get down to the roots of what we are all about. That’s what LOCASH means anyway is remembering where you come from, and your roots.”
With that maturity has come a stronger understanding of how the music business works and how to make it work for them. They have earned endorsement deals from Dean Guitars, Under Armour and Mossy Oak apparel, Comcast, Bud Light, and Bowtick Bows and Crossbows, as well as Kicker Audio, who sponsored their “Livin’ Loud” tour. Chris and Preston also believe in giving back to their community, by participating in such charities as D.A.R.E., St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and the T.J. Martell Foundation.
Career’s steady rise over ten years
The steady rise of LOCASH over a period of years should be an object lesson to all aspiring artists and songwriters who come to Nashville expecting instant recognition, only to feel they have failed when the deals and awards aren’t forthcoming in the first few months – or even years. Preston and Chris have always impressed me with their perseverance and their understanding that real success takes time. Everything that happens is a learning experience, including disappointments and setbacks. “Stick-to-it-iveness” is another name for perseverance, the resolute tenacity displayed by LOCASH. Feeling your career is in the doldrums? Picture yourself receiving an award for one million radio spins. Then start writing your next song that might just be the one to get you there. More about LOCASH here.