Experts Blame Pop Influences for Country Radio’s Low Ratings
Country radio is in a ratings slump. An no, it’s not due to the rise of streaming and other listening options, though this isn’t helping. This particular ratings slump shows up as a percentage of the overall radio market that is consuming music through the radio medium, country or otherwise. In the country radio PPM ratings for June 2019, the format came in at the lowest June ratings in a decade, and June is usually the period when country radio listeners swell due to summer listening. What is the cause?
In the current issue of Country Aircheck, numerous industry professionals spoke both on and off the record about the issue, and the primary culprits they cite are the pop nature of so many country songs making country radio unable to distinguish itself from other radio formats, the proliferation of #1 radio stars that most of the public can’t recognize, and the cozy nature between the radio industry and major labels.
“Privately, programmers will say that too many singles from top artists aren’t testing well,” Country Aircheck says in the article. “The format’s hits are spread out amongst a wide array of mostly unfamiliar artists. We’re not developing a new generation of superstars. The music sounds too pop, lacks distinctiveness and isn’t generating interest or conversation in the broader culture.”
Albright & O’Malley & Brenner is a premier country radio consulting company based out of Seattle, Washington. Becky Brenner of the company was one of the few who was willing to speak on record about the issue.
“The theory is we’re allowing country to become too song driven without developing new superstars,” Brenner says. “Country has always been about listener passion for artists. When it becomes harder to distinguish who’s who and there’s an increase of pop sounds in the music, this tends to be the result … We need balance. That’s the key, and hard to do if so much of the music has that pop sound. This format survives by being mass appeal with a mass audience. Right now, there are so many artists, and you can’t get mass appeal agreement. That waters down the impact of any one artist.”
These sentiments are exactly what Saving Country Music and many concerned country fans have been saying about country radio for many years. If country music can’t distinguish itself from other radio formats, it will fail. And when you have artists like Brett Young and Cole Swindell with four #1 singles on country radio, yet 95% of Americans couldn’t pick either of them out of a lineup, you’re not doing the format any favors. The system that allows most any male country artist on a major label to receive a #1 on radio might spread the attention around equally, but it results in a lack of resonance with listeners since the ascent up the charts isn’t organic. Instead it’s driven my labels looking to launch the careers of artists with lackluster appeal and little distinctiveness.
“While not a new issue, the close alignment between record labels and reporting stations—often a format strength—may be stifling audience familiarity with songs and artists,” Country Aircheck concludes. One top programmer told the periodical anonymously, “The pressure labels put on programmers does not service the needs of the listener. It is focused on the marketing plan and timetable of the record company.”
In other words, country radio does not have the autonomy to decide what to play, and to let listener appeal and data drive who gets played, and what songs go #1. And when songs do hit #1 on country radio, they rarely stay there for more than a week, meaning the format is not developing any new back list classics for the future, or superstars to sing them.
The conclusion of the current Country Aircheck article also dovetails with another article published in the periodical in May that highlighted how radio station 92.5 WBEE out of Rochester, New York saw a ratings increase when they went in the opposite direction of most of country radio.
“We policed the excessive number of ‘snap tracks’ and drinking songs, and we were increasingly more selective over which new songs got added and exposed,” said program director Bob Barnett. “In addition, we re-introduced a number of older gold titles back into the mix to try and achieve a better ‘mainstream’ country music mix. Through late summer and fall, I felt like much of the new music coming in was all beginning to sound the same—and we were missing variety and depth—so, we adjusted the gold mix.”
The conclusions of this new Country Aircheck article also have implications on the concern of the lack of women being represented at country radio. Though the common complaint about radio centers on program directors at radio stations and massive station owners such as Cumulus and iHeartMedia purposely excluding women exclusively due to their sex, as it’s laid out in the new article, it is often the record labels that are responsible for big determinations on who country radio plays, and how often.
Many of the singles released by women in country grade better with listeners than they perform on radio, partly because they don’t receive the same support from the labels that singles from men do, either via print ads in periodicals such as Country Aircheck, or in personal interactions between people within the industry. Meanwhile up-and-coming male artists are almost guaranteed #1’s on radio, and with the glut of male artists all needing to get their chance at #1, it’s diluting the talent pool.
But the other reality the low ratings expose is that radio is losing its importance as the primary driver behind an artist’s career, at least at the mainstream level. Though radio still draws a massive audience and can be important to a mainstream artist’s success, alternatives are opening up, and artists—women and men—are proving you can find success without radio support. Kacey Musgraves winning the superfecta of Album of the Year awards in the last awards show cycle (ACM, CMA, Grammy, and Grammy all-genre Album of the Year) proves women don’t need radio to succeed … though radio may need more women to survive, at least ones that sound country.
For years the complaints of country music’s more traditional fans have been scoffed off as the outdated pleadings of listeners unwilling to evolve with the times, while the philosophy of many pundits in the media, as well as at radio and labels, was more pop was needed to appeal to a wider audience. But pop radio already has the pop segment of the market cornered, and can do it better than country ever could. Offering music and artists that are unique in the marketplace is how country can distinguish itself from the rest of radio, and succeed.
And though the current ratings paint a dour picture for country radio, there has been some success stories, specifically Luke Combs. The 29-year-old has been setting records at radio, in streaming, and in sales and concert attendance. He also happens to be more traditionally-leaning than most of mainstream country’s current stars. The appeal of Midland, Jon Pardi, and other more traditionally-oriented stars also speaks to the resonance of twang with country listeners when given a chance.
Pop will always be part of the country radio format, and always has been. But as country radio consultant Becky Brenner said in her comments to Country Aircheck, “We need balance.“ The lack of any true country voices on the radio directly parallel’s country radio’s ratings slump, and putting them back on the airwaves to achieve that “balance” may be the way for country radio to survive in an increasingly market for listening alternatives.
Paul
July 25, 2019 @ 8:58 am
I don’t blame “pop influences”, why shouldn’t country artists be influenced by a variety of musical styles, including pop?
I blame lack of substance or authenticity
RenoBaxter
July 25, 2019 @ 9:27 am
Sadly these days the “pop influence” has become a rattling spinning cog in a money machine. When I see “Pop Influence” referenced anywhere, my first thought isnt the sound of the music….its the pre-fabricated nature of the cookie cutter turds being churned out left and right because the industry is trying to sell a product, and this formula has been lucrative for them. That’s what “pop influence” sounds like to me. So to your point, I feel like the “pop influence” IS the lack of substance and authenticity.
But I’ve said this many times, you can only shove garbage into peoples ears for so long before they realize what’s happening and turn their backs on it….and it appears as if that’s what’s happening. Everything ebbs and flows for a reason.
(Me and) Paul
July 25, 2019 @ 9:29 am
One could argue that they go hand-in-hand. Pop music by its design, and name, is meant to be “popular” and appeal to as many people as possible. Which often involves boiling it down to the lowest common denominators and excluding any substance because the music is more about image and catchy hooks. While you could argue there isn’t anything inherently wrong with country artists being influenced by pop, there is an issue with “country” artists being and performing pop under the guise of it being country. Call me crazy but I prefer my country artists to be influenced by country artists.
Chris Barnes
July 25, 2019 @ 2:40 pm
Which is brought on mostly by too many pop influences
Donny Vaquero
July 25, 2019 @ 5:47 pm
Murder on Music Row pretty much says it all…..Ck out Aaron Watson for good country music, just sayin’!
Jeff Tappan
July 26, 2019 @ 6:18 am
I blame money. Yes, recording is a business, and bills have to be paid. But, when revenue is more important than content, or respecting tradition, you begin to go down that ‘ slippery slope ‘ . Call me old-fashioned. Hell, call me old. But when a song title reflects the attitude of an industry ( ” Nobody Wants to be Country [ They Want to go Pop ] ” ) by the Statler Brothers back in the 70s, you can hear the death knell.
JKirby
July 26, 2019 @ 3:40 pm
Authenticity, man. That is the ticket.
If I can’t feel it….not a chance in hell I’m gonna get through the track, let alone spend money on it.
TXMUSICJIM
July 25, 2019 @ 9:13 am
I haven’t listened to mainstream country radio in decades Texas/Red Dirt, Americana oriented stations yes. I literally don’t see how these mainstream stations survive without changing.
Farmer Brian
July 25, 2019 @ 9:21 am
I noticed recently one of my local iHeartRadio country stations did a 180 here recently. Generally I don’t listen to the radio anymore, but some of the old equipment only has am/fm radios. Anywho, 103.7 WCKY in northwest Ohio somewhere along the line switched back to playing older music. I about died last night, they played Hank Jr., and Merle back to back. I haven’t heard that on an iHeartRadio station ever. I’m happy that it happened as I see no reason you can’t play Luke Combs and Hank Jr. on the same station.
Trigger
July 25, 2019 @ 10:06 am
Country radio turning into a Top 40 format is a relatively new development. What used to seperate country from pop is the amount of “gold” songs from the past mixed into the rotation. If country returns to this, I think they would have great success. This is what they proved at the station in New York mentioned in the article.
ScottG
July 25, 2019 @ 12:35 pm
That situation works as some sort of evidence. It would be interesting to see more like that. On the one hand I totally believe statements like: “The pressure labels put on programmers does not service the needs of the listener. It is focused on the marketing plan and timetable of the record company.” I totally believe that, common sense would say that is true. But on the other hand it would be cool to see more in depth investigation like polling people as to why they don’t listen. The fact that the decline happened in parallel with something else doesn’t necessarily mean it was a cause and effect. But, I’m down for what they are saying and I got a fever…and the only prescription is more actual country music.
But PS, now that there are other options, I simply can’t sit through radio adds. They hurt.
Robert
July 25, 2019 @ 1:43 pm
Off topic, but I think it would be great if you addressed the Confederate Railroad controversy. Political correctness is out of control. I think they deserve some support from the country music community.
Trigger
July 25, 2019 @ 3:56 pm
Hey Robert,
Just in case you didn’t see it, I posted a couple articles about the first cancellation. I may address the subsequent cancellation soon.
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/confederate-railroad-gets-dixie-chickd-from-fair-because-of-name/
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/confederate-railroad-releases-statement-about-state-fair-cancellation/
Chris
July 25, 2019 @ 11:47 am
The Toledo market has a Nash Icon station as well.
Ben Parks
July 25, 2019 @ 2:02 pm
Funny right before I read your comment I noticed that about 103.7. I was driving home and clicked scan on the radio. I heard dwight and buck and couldn’t believe it. I live on the outskirts of that stations range but will listen more often now.
Farmer Brian
July 26, 2019 @ 9:07 am
Same with me, I’m just happy as hell to have something good to listen too in the tractors and whatnot now. It’s hard to pick up any good stations sometimes in the back 40 of BFE.
North Woods Country
July 25, 2019 @ 9:23 am
I agree wholeheartedly with this. The only disagreement I have in the whole piece is the random mention of Brett Young a just a generic pop country artist like Cole Swindell. Anybody who’s listened to all of his material knows otherwise. Listen to “The Ship and the Bottle” and then dig deeper. The guy has some good stuff.
Trigger
July 25, 2019 @ 10:04 am
Any mainstream country artist—Brett Young, Cole Swindell, or otherwise—is going to have a couple of good songs on their albums. But “Ship in a Bottle” was not a #1 on radio. Four other songs were that I can’t name you off the top of my head, even though I write about country music for a living. I also stand behind the fact that barely anyone knows who Brett Young is. Compare this to previous eras when even people who didn’t like country could tell you who Tim McGraw, or Alan Jackson were.
Dragin
July 25, 2019 @ 11:44 am
Yeah I have no idea who Brett Young or Cole Swindell are, but I have not listened to country radio in probably 10 years. Life is better that way!!
#fuckpopcountry
North Woods Country
July 25, 2019 @ 12:53 pm
My main point is that he’s a much more substantial artist than you sometimes make him sound like. I understood your point–I just don’t believe in lumping relatively different artists together.
Charlotte
July 28, 2019 @ 8:11 pm
I like Brett Young. That’s all. Just had the need to say it. And I’m still not seeing where Luke Combs is all that traditional.
Craig Danger
July 25, 2019 @ 10:27 am
Is Brett Young the one that wears a plaid shirt and baseball cap?
Kingoete
July 25, 2019 @ 10:30 am
Amazing to me, but I have to remember that radio is big business…and we assume that the business man/woman chosen to lead know their core product. As in any industry, when consulting groups make the most sense…there is trouble.
If folks won’t eat purple ketchup, you stop making it in purple. If folks won’t buy a yellow car, you stop selling it in yellow. If folks don’t won’t to listen to pop-country…
albert
July 25, 2019 @ 10:32 am
superb fact-backed commentary , trigger . and , as you say , no surprises to most fans concerned about the genre’s welfare . a must-read for the industry , if only from a business standpoint .
.
at the risk of sounding like a broken streaming service i will , yet again , suggest what many would point out is a HUGE factor in the genre’s near-death knell . DANCING .
YOU CANNOT DANCE TO MOST OF THIS NEW STUFF . we hear it constantly from folks at gigs . we hear it in the songs people request and in their lack of interest in most newer additions to our repertoire . folks making the effort to get out to a ‘country ‘ cabaret or dance hall are there to dance . they want to meet someone on the dance floor or ‘dance with the one who brung them ‘….literally .
two steps , waltzes , shuffles and ballads have all but been replaced by cut time ,rappy , trip-hop-like groove-less and generally non-dance-floor-friendly bastardizations of these timeless COUNTRY dance steps . it matters . these clubs are seeing a decline in patronage – no matter the age demographic- and many are either closing or pulling the plug on live music once offered up to 7 nights a week . new “county” music has forgotten the dance crowd in the same way they’ve forgotten GREAT songwriters , GREAT voices and instrumentalists . if you are dancing to it at the clubs , you are probably listening to it at home , in the car , on your workout playlist , requesting and yes …even BUYING it cuz you remember it if ONLY cuz its a great dance tune .
look no further than ‘achy breaky heart ‘ or ‘ boot scootin boogie ‘ …..not great songs by any stretch …..but arguably two of the most requested club songs to this day because ( not to go all AMERICAN BANDSTAND on you ) they have ”a good beat and you can dance to it ” . in fairness , several new songs seem to be addressing this ( midland’s latest and jon pardi’s me and jack ) ……and that’s a good thing . these are trad-sounding COUNTRY songs which have the added bonus of being danceable . what a concept !!!
David
July 25, 2019 @ 11:28 am
Ironically, this is happening in pop as well. It seems the trend for the last couple years is to record minimalistic, slow, boring, almost whisper-singing songs that you can’t have fun with (Selena Gomez’s “Hands to Myself” is a good example). The last couple times my sister has gone to prom she’s talked about how the songs they play are from the mid to late 2000s because you can’t dance or bop to any of the new stuff.
albert
July 25, 2019 @ 11:34 am
its the rap influence on pop as well as country ….
where’s disco when you need it ??
Corncaster
July 25, 2019 @ 4:08 pm
Young people don’t dance with each other: they dance in front of each other.
The whole collective DJ-rave-ecstacy thing is a massive social exercise in risk avoidance.
It’s also why Americana is popular: it’s by introverts, for introverts, so that the introverted shall not perish from this earth.
I’m glad for them, but I’m thankful there are still old-timers who can play a Ray Price shuffle.
Kevin Smith
July 25, 2019 @ 11:37 am
Nailed it Albert! Great point. The wife and I flew to Texas last year and spent 4 nights in Texas Dance Halls, two- steppin, waltzing, and swing dancing to honky-tonk and western swing. It was amazing. Now we seek out these places where we can find them, there’s a few in Nashville we like as well. My point is yes, country music folks love to dance and you just can’t do it to the current radio trend music.
AT
July 25, 2019 @ 10:34 am
There was a great radio station out of Evansville, Indiana, that played classic country. The oldest thing you would hear was Alan Jackson’s, “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere.” It was 93.5 Duke FM for about 3 years and then suddenly changed to WYLD and only played “today’s new hit country” – it was garbage. People complained and within weeks it was changed to include older hits by the bigger mainstream artists of the 90s interspersed with the new stuff.
The reason I tend to listen to my own playlists as opposed to radio is that many of these radio stations and Sirius XM’s Prime Country that try to play older stuff only play the mega hits of the decades that we’ve all heard a million times. I’m not going to sit through 2-3 songs of today just to maybe hear “Chattahoochee” or “Friends in Low Places.”
Chris
July 25, 2019 @ 11:50 am
We have a “Duke FM” in the Lansing, Michigan market too. So far it’s not playing Florida-Georgia Line or Thomas Rhett and hopefully it never will.
Huntermc6
July 25, 2019 @ 10:38 am
The first step is actually admitting and recognizing you have a problem. Now lets see if they give the artist enough freedom to write and release country music instead of pop.
karl
July 25, 2019 @ 10:53 am
When country radio plays a Keith Urban/Carrie Underwood POP song(nothing about the song is Country) fifteen or twenty times a day, that is why country radio has an identity problem. If you switch channels then its on the pop station. I”m talking two or three years ago, but that might have been when this problem started, instead of the constant bro-country they just started playing pop.
North Woods Country
July 25, 2019 @ 5:05 pm
It was a really, really bad song to boot. Man, fuck Keith Urban. Dude used to be a bright spot simply for his prowess on stringed instruments and penchant for long, guitar-driven outros. Now he’s the cold sore of country music.
Bill Thomas
July 25, 2019 @ 10:54 am
I’m a country radio afternoon drive jock, been in radio 40 years, 30 of those years in country radio. What is coming out of Nashville is LAME. There is no “heart” there is no “soul” and there are NO stories to tell. It’s the same, bland formulaic, freeze-dried crap set to a snap track (or hand clap track). It’s unimaginative and vapid. “Artists” like Mitchell Tenpenny, Brett Young, Chase Rice, Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan (etc) wouldn’t know what a good song is if it hit them upside the head with a lap steel guitar. There is absolutely NOTHING drawing my ear (and I’m sure many, many listeners) to this predictable, boring drivel they call “country music”. Yes, there has always been pop influences in Country, but to the extent that it is now TRYING to sound like the same schlock oozing out of an L.A. studio has NOT happened. The same song themes are chewed over and over so much that you’d think they were in a milking barn. There are so many talented women in country music…I’d like to hear from them (please leave out the annoying finger-snaps and hand-claps please). I don’t need fiddles and steel guitars in EVERY song, but to ignore these staple instruments of the genre is a CRIME. My current radio station allows me the freedom to alter my playlist (it’s a small market station that is not a “reporter”) so I add in more gold and Red Dirt artists that let you know you’re listening to a Country station. I’ve had ENOUGH “emo country” and snap tracks and just plain terrible music. Tell me a story, tug at my heart strings, make me recollect things from my own life, get me to cry or laugh or smile, that is what Country music is about, not the “flavor of the day” and not what some schmuck record label exec who wouldn’t know Hank Snow from Frosty the Snowman thinks is “country”. You can’t have a rap beat with a banjo in the background and call it country. Play Red Dirt Music. If you’re not sure what that is, go to the Texas Regional Radio Report and look it over. Now I have to get in the studio and drop the crappy music at the end of the hour so the computer will delete it (this is a daily thing for my show)
Kevin Smith
July 25, 2019 @ 11:30 am
You go Bill! You have said it far better than most of us. You are performing a valuable public service!
albert
July 25, 2019 @ 11:32 am
beauty , bill …..and my sympathies …
’emo country ‘ ……..lol lol lol ….
ScottG
July 25, 2019 @ 12:38 pm
That’s awesome Bill. Well said. What is the reaction when you play gold and dirt? Is there a way to know?
King Honky Of Crackershire
July 25, 2019 @ 11:02 am
I am someone that mainstream “Country” radio is missing out on. I want to listen to the radio, but I don’t, because they don’t even begin to approach playing the kind of music I want to hear.
Travis
July 25, 2019 @ 11:56 am
I don’t think anyone can approach playing the kind of music you want to hear on the radio. The market wouldn’t be very big for 104.8 – All Midland All The Time. 😉
ScottG
July 25, 2019 @ 12:42 pm
If they want to squeeze even more bandwidth and make the sound even grainier, maybe Sirius can add a Honky channel. It might be niche, but loyalty can be a powerful thing.
Michelle
July 25, 2019 @ 2:07 pm
Bakersfield Beat on XM is a good channel.
King Honky Of Crackershire
July 25, 2019 @ 5:08 pm
Okay, that was a good one.
But seriously, all I’ve ever said about Midland, is that their sound is the best sound out of any of the sounds that modern radio is willing to play, which says virtually nothing about Midland.
A radio station on which Luke Combs was the worst thing they played, is a station I’d gladly listen to.
Kevin Smith
July 25, 2019 @ 11:26 am
Well, Duh! Of course people are noticing that today’s radio country is shallow, vapid and lacking any tangible substance! No surprise to any SCM regulars. Just in my little sphere, I meet very few people who say they like the radio garbage. Normally, I hear ” yeah I like country, but not the stuff on radio.”
No surprise that mixing in classic country is drawing better ratings! I often marvel that all these mindless mix stations will play classic rock over and over to the point of ridiculous overkill, but in my area of the midwest, not even one classic country station can be found. And there are generations coming up who have never heard of Bobby Bare, Buck Owens, Mickey Gilley, Mel Mcdaniel, Johnny Lee, Keith Whitley, Ed Bruce, Vern Gosdin, Patty Loveless, Gail Davies,Don Williams, Conway, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tracy Lawrence, Bellamy Brothers, Gatlin Brothers, Paycheck, Coe, and on and on…and how are they ever gonna hear them when their getting buried with zero airplay. It’s like an entire huge swath of country music never existed…bizarre in a way. Here’s hoping we see more stations playing classic stuff, and for that matter, new music of substance.
Justin s
July 25, 2019 @ 6:43 pm
Hey Kevin I like to ask you what older gem records you’ve been listening to and if you have any recommendations.
A few of my recommendations
Ray price sings bob wills
Ricky Skaggs – highway and heartaches ( a obvious one but i think it’s still worth a mention)
John Anderson – just came home to count the memories
Vern – if you’re do me wrong do it right, back in the swing of things (if only solely for baby thats cold)
the pistolero
July 25, 2019 @ 8:45 pm
Ricky Skaggs – highway and heartaches
Lord, yes. My wife bought me this on vinyl for our anniversary this year, and it’s one of the best albums ever.
Kevin Smith
July 26, 2019 @ 4:46 am
Hey Justin,
In no particular order here’s some treasures I’ve listened to lately, many on vinyl:
1. Johnny Bush: Texas State of Mind
2. Johnny Bush: The absolute Johnny Bush
I can’t say enough about how great Johnny is! I caught him live last year in a Texas Dance Hall. Blew the crowd away, his band The Bandeleros was smokin!
3. Haggard and Jones- Yesterday’s Wine, this album should be in the dictionary as a definition of country music. One of my favorites ever.
4. Gene Watson: Heartaches, Love and Stuff and Little by Little. These albums have it all going on, waltzs, shuffles, weepers, and honky tonk.
5. Gary P Nunn: What I Like About Texas
6. Gary P Nunn: Friends for Life Vol 1
7. Hank Jr: The New South, produced by Waylon and Ritchie Albright!
8. Waylon: Honky Tonk Heroes
9. Joe and Rose Lee Maphis: Mr and Mrs Country Music, Starday label.
10. David Ball – Thinkin Problem, I just saw him in Nashville playing The Palace for a long set after playing The Opry across the street, fantastic!
albert
July 26, 2019 @ 9:00 am
I might add ( as a female choice ) patty loveless ….mountain soul 1 and 2 ……..and just about any of her EARLY commercial stuff …. don’t toss us away , if my heart had windows , you can feel bad , hurt me bad , …….OMG …that voice !
Dougie Fresh
July 26, 2019 @ 9:47 am
Patty is GREAT. Her and Vince Gill? My generation’s, (I’m 63, eight months younger than Patty), answer to Conway & Loretta, or George and Tammy!!!! I wish they would release an album of duets. Patty had an album of standards that was almost as good as Martina McBrides Timeless!!!
Kevin Smith
July 26, 2019 @ 11:17 am
Mountain Soul is the best thing Patty ever did! Don’t know why more folks didn’t talk about that album. I think it went a little unnoticed as it was in many ways a bluegrass record. Her take on You’ll never Leave Harlan Alive is definitive, better than any of the other versions of it out there. I was privileged to see her do much of that album live and it was fantastic. There’s a couple duets on that record with Travis Tritt that are must listens! Great pick Albert. Havent heard Vol 2 though.
albert
July 26, 2019 @ 9:47 pm
mountain soul 1 and 2 are straight-up bluegrass alright ….but she always carried that element into her commercial stuff ….vocally at least .
both terrific records ….the real deal with lots of honest songwriting ….patty is the best ….don’t get me started …
albert
July 25, 2019 @ 11:36 am
can i just say ….i can hardly look at that FGL photo above cuz it screams it all .
wtf is that about ?
ScottG
July 25, 2019 @ 12:40 pm
I like to watch their music videos when I’m having a bad. Just reminds me there is a bottom that is much, much lower.
Music Jedi
July 25, 2019 @ 6:06 pm
One one on the right is saying, “my earring is missing – did you take it?” And the other guy is like, duh, I dunno.”
OlaR
July 25, 2019 @ 12:22 pm
There is no soul in current “country” music.
Ther majority of songs are written by a small group of people (& Ashley Gorleys computer). Producers like busbee or Ross Copperman have no clue what a fiddle or steel guitar is.
John Esposito, Scott “Scooter Braun” Borchetta, Randy Goodman, Mike Curb & all the other chairman, presidents, vice-presidents of this & vice-presidents of that can talk all day long how much they honor the history of country music & how important artist development is…nope…they don’t care about country music or artists…it’s all about the fast money, the next trend & the next best thing the Nashville-machine will produce to make more money.
Let’s not forget nepotism…Thomas Rhett, Tucker Beathard, Mitchell Tenpenny…meh.
A lot of second or third generation artists & songwriters have talent like Rosanne Cash, Hank Jr., Hank III, Holly Williams, Pam Tillis, Lorrie Morgan, Shelly West, Lynn Anderson, Lukas Nelson, Shooter Jennings & many more…but come on…Mitchell Tenpenny?
Mitchell Tenpenny released a new song together with the new Sony Nashville POP-country duo Seaforth (two hip australian guys who have no clue who Slim Dusty or Rex Dallas are).
Try to listen to “Anything She Says”. A perfect track for all the iHeart-Bobby Bones stations.
Or Niko Moon (Sony Nashville too)…”Drunk Over You” & “Good Time”. Faceless-computerized-soulless modern-hip-“country” music.
What’s wrong with Nashville, “country” radio & mainstream “country” music…listen to Niko Moon. The next bes…worst thing.
wayne
July 25, 2019 @ 12:29 pm
Excellent post Trigger. This plus the comments pretty well sum it up. Fortunate to have two classic radio stations in my listening range.
Greg Rowe
July 25, 2019 @ 12:43 pm
to hell with the new country !! I don’t like it I miss all my good ol boys but they are all going to that big show in the sky . but we still have Hank JR . Waylon Is gone but we Still Have Willy . Merle is gone an George too I miss the good old Country
Convict charlie
July 25, 2019 @ 4:46 pm
Had hank jr’s son at a festival this weekend. Sam Williams. Early 20’s he sounded more like senior and was rather impressive. His stage outfit were much better than his press photos which were a little different.
Blackh4t
July 25, 2019 @ 1:36 pm
A point that the comments section isn’t talking about much, the superstar thing. Its pretty obvious that a lot of Luke Combs success is because he’s the first recogniseable ‘star’ since Luke Bryan.
All the others get lumped into a generic ‘Chase Rice, Chris Young, that kind of thing’ then its like ‘Hell yeah, crank me some Combs, when it raaaaaaiiiinnnnssss’
You can also pick him out of a lineup because of the red cup and not working out.
Oh, and his music is good/inoffensive
Daniel Cooper
July 25, 2019 @ 1:58 pm
The problem I have with country radio these days, aside from the pop sounds and annoying snap tracks, is that 95 percent of the men all have the exact same voice. No way to tell them apart. Back in the 90s heyday, the men had distinctive voices. When one came on, you knew who it was. George, Garth, Alan, Trace Adkins, Tracy Byrd, just about all of them you could tell apart. These days Chris Young has probably the most recognizable voice.
wayne
July 25, 2019 @ 6:16 pm
That can also be said for “most” female artists, at least the few that are actually played.
Charlotte
July 28, 2019 @ 8:19 pm
What about Eric Church? I think he is pretty recognizable.
Angel Morris
July 25, 2019 @ 2:25 pm
I stopped listening to “country” radio years ago. Every time I turned it on the same song was being played. No variety, no old stuff, just same play list, -ad nauseum. When I wanna listen to GOOD music, I get out my old CDs.
Liz
July 25, 2019 @ 2:47 pm
I live in rural New Zealand with no cell phone or radio coverage, so I listen to interet radio, specically 181.fm Real Country. Does anyone else listen to this station or any of it’s other country stations? If so, what do you think of it? As far as I know there are no country music radio stations in New Zealand, though our local radio station ie not part of any of the two big media companies in New Zealand does play a small selection of country music.
Christopher Burrell
July 25, 2019 @ 2:56 pm
In the golden era of country from the late 50s thru the 90s, the thing that separates them from today’s acts is most of them were authentic,the real McCoy’s. They wrote many of their songs, and when they didn’t, they could relate to the songs wrote for them because they had experienced that way of life. From Loretta Lynn growing up poor as a coal miners daughter in Kentucky, to Waylon Jennings wanting to be a country singer to escape the cotton fields of Texas, to Alan Jackson growing up poor, in a house with dirt floors in Newnan GA…they were all authentic people, living authentically rural and country lives. Today these empty hats aren’t authentic, most don’t live rural country lives anymore, and they do nothing to connect to their audience. They are Nashville made stars, hand selected for their looks with well crafted images, managed and contrived from top to bottom…just like pop music has been doing for years…many country greatest of yesteryear wouldn’t even get a chance to prove themselves in today’s country music because they would be deemed too plain or ugly for Nashville’s standards. Nashville just needs to start signing authentic people who lived authentically rural and country lives, instead of these pretty boy and girl country versions of Backstreet Boys and Brittany Spears.
albert
July 25, 2019 @ 3:30 pm
yup ….what you said, christopher . this is a real trend of the times …..this ‘manufactured’ bullshit …..people being famous for being famous …..for looking famous ……for looking so physically scultped they come across as mutants to the average REAL human……and for being pressured by media into BEING physically sculpted……eye candy for the masses .
……..all fine and dandy , I suppose , if there’s some substance under all of that corporate walking talking advertisement for products whose ‘value’ is often more questionable than the folks hawking it . you do indeed , it seems , get your 15 minutes so you’d better not undermine it by actually SAYING something or it may be down to 5 or 10 .
Bill
July 25, 2019 @ 3:12 pm
I hate the way they market these younger acts as storytellers. Then the song they come out with is about going to the bar and seeing a girl catch their eye or something superficial like that. So compelling.
Wayne
July 25, 2019 @ 3:54 pm
Most of the comments are right on. I have been listening to “country music” since I was 5 and and able to wind up a Victrola and play the same 5 records over and over. Singers such as Eddie Arnold, Roy Accuf, Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Lefty Frizzell, Marty Robin’s, and so many others – too many to name. They were all unique in that their sounds were recognizable and their songs said something, even the comics such as Homer and Jethro.
Today the sounds, the stories and the looks are basically the same . Repition breeds monotiny and that is what today’s country is – repetitive and indistinguishable. I go back to my vinyl, cassettes, and cds . I could not name a single male singer appearing during the last 10 years and only a couple of female artists, and one only because she comes out of my home town. You can’t live in the clouds if you’re cut loose from your roots.
Just comments from 77 years of enjoying GOOD country music. (WSM, WCKY, WWVA, KWKH all am clear channel stations).
Patricia Frederick
July 25, 2019 @ 3:55 pm
Country is Country…Pop doesn’t compare. That is why I won’t listen to radio unless I find A classic radio station!
Mad_Habber
July 25, 2019 @ 5:19 pm
In terms of gaining an audience it goes beyond playing just ‘gold country’. Don’t get me wrong I love to hear classics, but at the same time I like to find new stuff. The big problem is the new stuff the radio stations play sounds the same shallow commercial crap, and for the most part unrelatable. I always hear people say country music isn’t as good as it use to be, and they are basing that off the what the radio plays. Meanwhile there are so many more traditional country musicians that they are never going to hear because they think country radio is all there is.
I don’t know if I will ever listen to country radio again, but I would definitely be more inclined to if they played new artist that were more than just the latest thing the record companies wanted to push. If I heard more musicians like Cody Jinks, Tyler Childers, Ashley McBride, Brandy Clark and Jason Eady more than guys like Thomas Rhett, FGL and Kane Brown when I turned it there I might actually listen to it. But since they want to go straight pop, if I am going to listen the radio I might as well put it on a pop station and get more variety.
Daniel Cooper
July 25, 2019 @ 5:28 pm
On the Thomas Rhett front, aside from being a pop artist posing as country, every time I hear him when I do listen to the radio (one of my cars doesn’t have a CD player), I’ve noticed Rhett’s song structure is terrible. Trying to cram waaaay too many lyrics into his verses. Anyone else notice this?
albert
July 25, 2019 @ 9:46 pm
every once -in -a-while an act comes along whose supposed popularity absolutely baffles me on all fronts . rhett is one . i’ll list the other 50 when I’m not so tired of being bewildered .
I cannot get past 30 seconds of his nondescript totally unremarkable voice to even analyze the rest of his schtick …so you may have a point , daniel .wow !
…..this guy has got NOTHING going for him talent -wise and I don’t want to start on his ‘ look’ but …..damn . and yet women, apparently , love him . as does radio and award shows.
i swear , more and more this industry looks like they recruit through craigslist ads written by the ‘artists’ themselves . once you get the job at the label , just tow the line , wear this , sing this and otherwise keep your mouth shut . in three months you’ll be eligible for health benefits ….if you’re still on the payroll ….
oh and daniel …go and get a cd player for the other car …pronto !
NCW
July 25, 2019 @ 5:32 pm
And in other news experts concluded water was wet.
On another note, check out Ben Haggard on the opry stage. Pretty phenomenal.
c
July 25, 2019 @ 5:53 pm
For a long time, I’ve lamented the lack of star power in modern country music. I’m a 90s kid. So, that’s my reference, and I remember Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Reba, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, George Strait, and so on. They were true stars. People knew them, even if they didn’t necessarily listen to country a lot. I think about Shania doing “Behind the Music,” and how people felt very invested in her story and knew about her life. You can’t say that about too many country artists now. I also think songs were better back then. I still listen to so many of them. When I try to listen to mainstream country radio now, I cannot distinguish between all the men, and none of the songs are memorable to me. When I find a radio station that plays the older country music, I feel so happy because I love the songs. For the ones I haven’t heard before, I try to remember lyrics so that I can google them and find them on Spotify. I never feel that way about mainstream country. There are a lot of issues. We need more women played, more performers with something special about them (I think Kacey Musgraves really has that), and well-written songs that appeal to the masses. I’m not an expert, but these are just some of my observations.
Chidge
July 25, 2019 @ 7:44 pm
You all forgot the biggest influence of country music of all. I grew listening to country music. I lived in the same town as Buck and Merle.
Even though I completely agree with the assessments, true country .music was swayed by Buck and Merle with the advent of the Fender guitars they were known for.
Willie and Merle produced a few solid pieces just not to long ago. Willie and his son Lucas have a few good numbers as well.
Merle is in a class of his own though. I have traveled many a different circles in my life, classical, opera, ballet just to name a few and whenever the snobs found out I grew up in Bakersfield they would always ask about our ten gallon hats and country music.I would always smile and say ‘yes, I listen to Buck and Merle.’ They all would say”yeah but you can’t compare Buck to Merle.’ Merle Haggard is Merle Haggard.’ Yes, but Merle started with Buck. He played bass for Buck and he’s the gent that gave the name Buckaroos to Buck. Plus, keep in mind Buck was the male vocalist of the year seven years running.
There’s an interview with Joe Walsh, you might have seen it. He sums all music up. Their simply is no soul anymore ..period! There could be.
Most of the old greats were written through life, through experience. You don’t get that kind of experience living in mommy’s basement. Don’t think I say that because I’m an old turd either. I have to millenial offspring and sixteen nephews and nieces and I can guarantee that no matter what genre they prefer when they hear the true country music they listen.
I don’t mean Garth or Brooks and Dunn or Tim McGraw either. Randy Travis, Tracy Lawrence, Allen Jackson, Mark Allen, Travis Tritt and Dwight are about as close as you have had to country in the last twenty years.
bill weiler
July 28, 2019 @ 7:23 am
The music industry has made it too damn easy for the average listener to accept crap music. The average listener has made it too damn easy for the music industry as they don’t seem to want to put any effort into finding good music. As a teen in the 60’s, I got to see the debut of the Rolling Stones on The Ed Sullivan Show. When you went to the local record store, you looked in the bins, pulled out the Stones albums and started reading the back of the album cover and the liner notes. Writer credits had names like Dixon, Morganfield, and Burnett. Who the hell? Ask the music gurus that worked in the shop and they told you that these were Chicage Bluesmen on the Chess label. It took time and effort to get to the roots of blues, and then you find out those roots are intertwined with the roots of many other genres of American Music. You developed friendships with other music nerds and freaks at school which opened up new channels to find music. I found all strains of Blues, Old Timey or Appalachian, Bluegrass, Country, Cajun, Zydeco, Soul, Tejano, etc. music by running down the different leads I came up with. No internet, no streaming, no MTV to skew the music with superficial judgments on the appearance of the artist. I have enjoyed a lifetime of music discovery. I wish I had the answer to helping people discover good music in this day and age. There is a lot of great music still being made, but for people and their peers that grew up on crap, I’m afraid most would not recognize good music if they heard it.
Debbie
July 25, 2019 @ 7:48 pm
Absolutely that’s why the radio station’s wouldn’t play it and pulled it off the air. The song tells the truth. Country music ain’t country music anymore. Theses wanna be’s say I grew up listening to George Jones and Merle Haggard or Conway Twitty well then why don’t you sing country music in the same fashion that they did
Anthony
July 25, 2019 @ 8:42 pm
This article has so many lines after which I could have said, “Amen”.
But is anyone seriously surprised by this? That listeners who chose to tune in to a “country” station would stop listening after being forced to endure several years of soulless, garbage songs that aren’t even country?
Jimmy henley
July 25, 2019 @ 11:34 pm
I quit listening to mainstream country when the cookie cutter bands and bubble gum artist like Shania Twain started hitting the country charts with pure pop songs.The song writing is awful and uninspiring and the infusion of rap and pop is a stone cold turnoff.For me it will always be Hank Sr/Jr/Willie/Merle/George/Waylon/Johnny/Jerry Lee/Loretta and Dolly.The “country music”they are making these days is pure garbage!!
Lone Wolf
July 26, 2019 @ 12:02 am
Every so often, Big 104.7 or WDSY 107.9 / Y108, the two big FM country stations in Pittsburgh, will play something by Charlie Daniels – usually ‘The Devil Went Down To Georgia’ or ‘Long Haired Country Boy – or Lynrd Skynrd. They would occasionally slip in Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long’. I’ve even heard Bob Seger, which is a bit of a stretch.
I know playing southern rock bands isn’t the answer but if a program director wanted to get a little bold, I’d love to hear more southern rock songs for balance….. as in the southern rock songs classic rock stations won’t play anymore.
Tony
July 26, 2019 @ 5:27 am
https://youtu.be/NK1Vrur_ewM
ALD
July 26, 2019 @ 11:02 am
For the past 5 or 6 years, ever since the first time I saw Randy Rogers in concert, I have strictly become a Red Dirt listener. It is as close to 90s country as I can get. Living in southern Indiana, we don’t get much through here as far as touring goes so I have to travel a couple hours to see about anybody but I haven’t missed country radio a bit
Charlie
July 30, 2019 @ 8:51 am
Amen, brother Hoosier. I’ve stumped for some of that Red Dirt to get tracked up here to SO IN myself. Thank the Lord for Internet radio!
Atomic Zombie Redneck
July 26, 2019 @ 11:13 am
More and more lately I’m finding myself flipping through radio stations, unable to tell which ones are country because they all sound like pop. And when I do find a station playing a real country song, it’s typically followed by something so pop that I have to look for a different station.
Chris
July 27, 2019 @ 3:41 pm
I know exactly what you mean. Where I live, I can pick up a pop country station out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, on 93.7 and a hip-hop station out of Flint on the same frequency. It’s not as easy as it used to be to tell which is which at first listen.
Chris
July 26, 2019 @ 9:46 pm
No shit Sherlock. The only way this is going to change is if we eliminate iHeartRadio. Hopefully they finally go completely bankrupt and return radio to the locals.
Laughing Wolf
July 27, 2019 @ 4:41 am
Also, the radio dial is owned by a few corporations that own multiple stations in multiple formats in multiple markets. It’s like chain stores/restaurants, you can go into any
market, find the same big name stores/resturants/radio stations offering up the same products in the same atmosphere whether it’s in Boston, LA, Cincinnati, or small town anywhere. They may try to add a local “specialty” to try to make it seem authentic, but the base offering is cookie cutter same, controlled by some focus group mentality, preprogrammed and delivered to the masses. I went to high school in the seventies, was a big fan of Marshall Tucker, Charlie Daniel’s Band, Pure Prairie League, Skynyrd, the southern rock style, that had led me to really appreciate the classics like Conway, Merle, Willie, Waylon, Buck, Vern, George. Keeping that alive is Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam, Hank Jr, Clint Black, Dale Watson, Mike and the Moonpies… I live in southern New England, i’m kind of a freak here.
Greg Green
July 27, 2019 @ 6:12 am
“Country has always been about listener passion for artists.” I don’t think this is correct. The passion for artists, like Jones or Lynn was because of their songs, either self written or just well picked. The star power came from developing a catalog of great songs. As in any other genre, the song is the real star. And there are few new stars on the radio. Maybe even none on pop radio.
Chris
July 27, 2019 @ 3:55 pm
Probably the biggest pop star in the past decade or so has been Max Martin. I’ve often joked that the artist credits on “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Teenage Dream,” “Can’t Stop the Feeling” etc. should be “Max Martin featuring Taylor Swift [Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5 et al.]” because the performing artists sound more like just another part of the production than like the headliners on their own hits. Look at how Swift’s and Perry’s latest singles have been struggling on the charts – they’re not Max Martin songs, and the superstar names of the performing artists hasn’t been enough to make them smash hits. The closest thing to a true “star” on pop radio at the moment is Ariana Grande (don’t try to claim Lil Nas X as a star) and she too is just another front for Max Martin productions.
Russel Knale
July 28, 2019 @ 12:47 am
A truck driver from DeKalb Illinois (The home of Barbwire) Singer/Songwriter
Dennis Callahan
Amazon, Spotify, Tidal, iTunes, Apple, Deezer, YouTube
GUILT.
WITH ME.
NASHVILLE BOOTS
Charlie
July 30, 2019 @ 8:47 am
There is only one cause for the low ratings, and it is this one:
‘“While not a new issue, the close alignment between record labels and reporting stations—often a format strength—may be stifling audience familiarity with songs and artists,” Country Aircheck concludes. One top programmer told the periodical anonymously, “The pressure labels put on programmers does not service the needs of the listener. It is focused on the marketing plan and timetable of the record company.”’
Any time a free market is not allowed to operate freely, there will be unintended consequences. The signal of low ratings is not sufficiently feeding back as an input to the programming decision process, ergo listeners suffer.
The notion that country is too pop and that is causing low ratings is counter-intuitive. If it was truly good pop the casual listener would eat it up and ratings would soar. Instead, it is bad pop, generated by an open loop system enabled by lack of competition instead of being driven by listener’s feedback.
But then again, here in the real world, country-pop will always take a back seat to actual pop, so the better potential for long-term growth ought to lie down a more traditional road.
IMAHO
Lefty Throckmorton
August 6, 2019 @ 1:04 pm
Let there be no doubt, this malaise affecting country radio is due to the pernicious effects of Slick Willie’s 1996 Communications Act that destroyed the original (and better) Act of 1933, giving us crappy radio; if you Yanks want to stop this, IMHO, you all have got to write your senators and congresspersons to get it stopped and to get a new (and stronger) version of the 1933 Act instead.
As for the radio format of the ‘best of the old’ and ‘best of the new’ that you want for country, sorry Trigger, but I disagree; I’ve seen the effects of what the ‘classic rock’ radio format has done to rock music-it’s destroyed the ability of new rock to thrive and flourish, because it can’t get heard on commercial radio stations and can only be heard on (very rare) college/university radio, or on the just as rare commercial stations that are willing to play current new rock music (said format being called ‘contemporary rock’ radio.) If that takes hold, I fear that all of the young country musicians that you’ve written about on this site won’t get heard, because current commercial radio will only play the ‘pop’ country consisting of the young and sexy lady ‘artists’ that you and your readers despise, leaving the ‘true’ country artists that you and your readers love out in the cold and having to only be heard on a few stations (this will also affect the black country artists you talked about in one article, plus lead to incidents like this, this, and this, which in turn provoked this response by an angered music industry exec on behalf of Justin Bieber) , or for you and your readers to be having to be enduring long slogging searches for these artists on the Internet. If the people who love old country want to hear it so much, let them get off of their butts and buy the older country music; the older country music artists can still be heard, but it should be their new albums getting radio airplay, not their old ones. The best thing for the country music genre/industry would be to eliminate pop country, period, but that’s just me.
Take it from me, Trig; we don’t need to have any more golden oldies radio formats hogging the FM bandwith in many (North) American cities. Stave off what happend to rock by not letting this happen, and just let the older country be heard once in a while on holidays.
TilBillyHill
September 13, 2019 @ 5:30 am
Less important than WHO signed the law (Centrist D President), WHO introduced the law (Republican from SD), to WHO controlled both chambers of Congress in 1996 (Republicans) is the political philosophy behind it:
that “deregulation is good” and “regulation is bad.”
Deregulation allegedly would be for the benefit of the consumer, moving closer to free markets and removing the constraints of government red tape.
How did that turn out? A few media giants dominate markets, coast-to-coast, benefitting the executives drawing big pay (and maybe the shareholders). As companies combine and break back up into other companies, the execs get rewarded financially either way.
Twenty-three years later, we’re still being sold the lines that “deregulation is good for small companies and consumers” and “it’s for a free market” (even though we lack the other essential elements for a true free market, including low barriers to entry, competition, equal bargaining power, and access to information.)
CMS
August 7, 2019 @ 1:36 pm
I have triplet daughters who are now 20. Back when they were in their mid-teens, I used to play the two XM stations that were pop stations out of NY and LA for them, because they were (temporarily thank goodness) too cool for country. These XM stations basically each played the same 10-15 songs that would literally just repeat every hour. There was a decent chance that at any given time the same song would be on both stations. It was horrible, especially given the quality or lack thereof of the “music”.
Here in Chicago, there are two country radio stations. I swear that it is EXACTLY what I just described, except with fucking “T-Shirt”, “I’ll Alcohol you Later”, the stupid wrist tattoo lyric song, I Miss Me more (what does “my own snare drum” even mean?). This stuff is unlistenable and these stations play these songs over and over and over again. You know it’s bad when you perk up when Luke Combs comes on—not that it’s great stuff but it at least it isn’t blatant pop pandering. But even Long Neck Beers is played every hour on the hour.
I cannot believe that the under 30 demographic is driving the music on these stations. They simply cannot match the over-30 crowd in spending power, much less population. Someone at these stations needs to grow a pair and try offering a station that dips into popular songs from the past 20 years and quality selections from today, almost like Y2Kountry on XM. Until then I will just not listen to the radio for my country, thank you very much.