Little Big Town was among the headliners of Country Summer ’24.
2020 festival was canceled. And far-worse news was on the horizon. In 2021, Jacoby died due to complications from COVID-19. Jim Murphy, ASMG VP programming and operations, recalls Jacoby as “a good friend to all of us.” “His leadership and vision were essential in making Country Summer a success,” says Murphy. These days the festival features an AJ Signature Row in honor of Jacoby’s legacy. Drew Jacoby, Alan’s son, stepped in to take over Impact Entertainment management. “It’s a pleasure working with Drew,” Murphy says. “He grew up in the business. He learned from the best.” Impact Entertainment has responsibility for operations, management, logistics and the booking of talent while ASMG promotes the event, consults on the lineup, and the Froggy 92.9 sales team solicits sponsors. Changes in 2025 Outside of sporting events, post-pandemic audiences have been slow to fully return to entertainment venues. It’s a nationwide trend—last year, neither Coachella nor Burning Man sold out, the first time either of those festivals has been left with extra tickets in years. Country Summer hasn’t been immune: Attendance was down 10% from a peak of 30,000 in 2019, according to Drew Jacoby. “Some of that decline can perhaps be attributed to the economy and inflation, where there’s less discretionary income for entertainment,” Jacoby says. “We’ve addressed that by lowering
also saw American Nigerian singer Shaboozey not only featured on two tracks of Cowboy Carter, but his own country-meets- hip- hop single, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," settle in for 38 weeks (as of press time) at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The blending of genres, social media and streaming have also led to a geographic shift in music tastes. Country music is less regional—no longer reserved for rural audiences, but expanding its influence in metropolitan areas. Acclaimed country music singer-songwriter Lainey Wilson performed to a sell-out crowd last year at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan. Her opening act for that event: Country Summer 2025’s own Ian Munsick, who’s performing at this year’s festival on June 29. When country came to Sonoma County In 2013, when Amaturo acquired several local radio stations and established ASMG, he met with his team and inquired as to any unique or special projects they wanted to undertake. Staging a music festival turned out to be that special project. And the timing could not have been better. Up-and-coming country duo Florida Georgia Line had appeared at the Sonoma County Fair, and ASMG’s country station, Froggy 92.9, helped publicize the show and had gotten to know its promoter, Alan Jacoby. The burgeoning relationship with Jacoby led to a business collaboration—and Country Summer Music Festival was born. Jacoby, with over 30 years in the entertainment business, provided event-management expertise while Froggy offered access and promotion in the local market. But just as Country Summer was gaining real momentum, the pandemic hit and the
April 2025
NorthBaybiz 25
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