Espo To Receive CRB President’s Award
• The Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. announced John Esposito, Chairman & CEO of Warner Music Nashville, as the 2022 recipient of the prestigious CRB President’s Award, which is traditionally presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the marketing, production, growth, and development of the Country Radio Seminar and the multiple services that Country Radio Broadcasters provide to the country radio and music communities.
CRB/CRS Board President Kurt Johnson, commented, “John Esposito is well-known as a music business visionary, a leader, a mentor. He’s true friend to artists and to Country Radio. It’s hard to adequately capture the impact Espo’s had on Music Row over the past 12 years. But we will try. This will be a singularly special evening. Join us as we raise a toast to an icon.”
Since Esposito joined the label in 2009, Warner Music Nashville’s market share has quadrupled and its artists have spent more than 107 weeks at No. 1, earning 74 chart-topping singles, multiple gold and platinum sales certifications, and Grammy, CMA, ACM, Billboard, AMA, and People’s Choice awards ranging from New Artist to Entertainer of the Year. Esposito and his team now oversee a Music Row powerhouse that includes Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Dan + Shay, Zac Brown Band, Brett Eldredge, Cole Swindell, Cody Johnson, Ashley McBryde, and a group of young artists like Ingrid Andress and Gabby Barrett, to name a few.
Esposito has served as Chairman of the Board of the Country Music Association, Governor of the Nashville Chapter Board of NARAS, and as an Executive Committee board member of the Country Radio Broadcasters Association. He’s Vice Chairman of the T.J. Martell Foundation National Board and currently serves on the CMA Foundation board.
With this presentation, Espo will join an impressive group of previous CRB President’s Award recipients that includes Beverlee Brannigan, Sarah Trahern, Mike Dungan, Charlie Morgan, Bob Kingsley, Joe Galante, and Erica Farber. The 2022 Country Radio Hall of Fame induction event will be held June 30 at Virgin Hotel Nashville. The off-air honorees are Becky Brenner and Barry Mardit, and the on-air honorees are Whitney Allen, Debbie Conner, Cathy Martindale, and Rachel & Grunwald. Individual tickets are $150 per person and are available for purchase here.
