Oliver Anthony’s ‘Rich Men’ Is the Top Song in the Country — Now What? – Billboard

Derek Crownover, vice chair of Loeb & Loeb’s Music Industry practice and Nashville co-office administrative partner, spoke to Billboard about the controversy surrounding up-and-coming country artist Oliver Anthony’s song, “Rich Men North of Richmond.”

In a statement to the publication, Derek offered advice he would give to the country artist on how to navigate the media frenzy and capitalize on his music career going forward.

“Songs and lyrics on controversial topics and particular viewpoints, whether it’s love, alcohol, religion or politics, are age old,” Derek said. “The song and the passion Oliver is delivering through his vocals are speaking loudly to a group obviously; however, there is also the new viral phenomenon of curiosity, which the media is helping to fuel. So there is some uplift that’s there too. It seems Oliver did a lot of this on his own, so he should preserve the rights he has as best he can. Maybe a record distribution deal and a publishing admin deal to help him collect the money on those songs he put out and then a go-forward [publishing deal] with more investment to build off his platform.”

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