Rural Route Entertainment

For Immediate Release

December 1, 2021

Industry Veteran KO Roberts launches new artist services company, Rural Route Entertainment

Nashville, TN -- With the dark cloud of 2020 still looming above, possibly for the next several years, some may argue that investing in an entertainment company is a risky move, considering that the music industry was one of the hardest hit during the pandemic. But playing it safe has never been KO Roberts’ strategy as he firmly believes there is no reward without the risk. And while live shows are taking a while to make a full comeback, the “wait and see” game also brings about missed opportunities for connection and capital gain in other areas. In fact, Roberts has wisely used the downtime to think critically about the short term, long term, and more impressively, the permanent effects the pandemic will have on the entertainment world.

As part of his analysis, Roberts notes that the United States recorded music revenues grew 9.2% in 2020 to over $12B in estimated retail value (2020 Year End Music Industry Revenue Report) at a time when there were nearly zero live music events for the better part of the year.

“Streaming ad-supported services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and others saw growth of nearly 13.5% in 2020. This tells me that music is a critical part of people’s lives, and they will find a way to enjoy it no matter what,” Roberts says.

With the assurance that music consumption is not going anywhere, Roberts has decided to launch Rural Route Entertainment (RRE) as an artist services company. RRE will take a modern approach to streamlining successful, independent careers by focusing on where the industry is and more importantly, where it is headed.

“It’s a new era. The industry is always evolving but the absence of live shows has forced industry leaders and artist teams to think differently. We must now consider live events as the icing on the cake,” adds Roberts.

RRE will provide a variety of business services necessary for artists to build a lasting career, including but not limited to physical and digital distribution, social media marketing, tour support and tour press, merchandise, and fan club administration. Although many of the services are similar to label campaigns, Roberts has seen time and time again the shortcomings of a “one size fits all” approach and therefore RRE tailors each plan specifically for that artist’s individual needs.

“At RRE, we have two main goals: growing a fan base through fan engagement and increasing revenue through sales. In order to accomplish these goals, we must be laser focused on the processes to get us there. Streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music monetize consumption rather than fandom, leaving both passion and spend on the table. It isn’t just about the music anymore. If we’ve learned anything from the effects of the pandemic, we learned that music is vital to our lives and therefore artists must make their music easily accessible by being where the fans are".

Roberts' own background in the business comes from having served as the Client Services Director at Nashville based MAJiiK Interactive Media for the past 8 years, which connects artists and fans thru physical and digital interactive experiences. He studied the legal aspects of the music business at the prestigious Berklee College of Music and has worked with numerous artists over the years as an entertainment consultant which includes entertainers from America’s Got Talent, The Voice and American Idol. He plans to continue his role with MAJiiK, merging it at times with RRE, seeing as fan engagement is one of the key components of RRE.

Between 2020 setbacks and the instability of the music industry in general, one might wonder why Roberts has decided that NOW is the perfect time to roll out this new venture. It’s simple: the industry veteran has seen first-hand the number of hats independent artists wear behind the scenes and the grueling process they go thru in an effort to compete with top billers.

“I recognize many independent artists don’t always have the necessary time or resources to gain as much traction as they would like. They spend their days writing, recording, doing demo work, traveling, rehearsing for live shows, trying to secure bookings, and that’s often on top of working a part-time or full-time job. But their unwavering spirit and devotion to their craft is so special to witness, especially when they are in their element and giving back to the fans. I love nothing more than being a part of that process.”

To see what Rural Route Entertainment has to offer, follow them on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ruralrouteentertainment

KO Roberts can be reached at ko@ruralrouteentertainment.com

For more information on LIT Nashville, contact Lindsey Sipe at lindz@litnashville.com.