How Cameron Duddy of Midland Became Eligible for 4 VMA Awards
I would rather shit a knife than watch Sunday’s VMA Awards on MTV. I’d say the show lost its relevancy years ago, but it was never good for anything beyond a forum for Madonna and Brittany Spears to make out on, or for Miley Cyrus to be faux butthunched by some guy twice her age. Not even the intrigue for the unveiling of Taylor Swift’s video for her terrible new song “Look What You Made Me Do” can get this country boy to tune in. Swift’s turn has been so awful, it feels beneath oneself and cliché to even criticize it.
There will be one point of interest for some country fans, however. One of those “authentic, hardscrabble, Texas country” guys from the new band Midland will be up for no less than four VMA awards during the 2017 presentation. How, you say? Is Midland making such waves with their throwback style of country that they’re even drawing the attention of the VMA’s now? No, not exactly.
You know Cameron Duddy, the bassist for Midland, and the one who had his wedding covered by People Magazine? Well despite all the stories you’ve been reading about how Midland pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and sweated it out in honky tonks all across Texas for years to pay their dues, Cameron Duddy is actually a deeply-connected impresario in the music video business, who’s already been nominated and won VMA’s in the past for his work with international R&B superstar Bruno Mars, and is now up for four separate awards tonight via Bruno’s “24K Magic” video, including a nomination for Best Director.
If you’re wondering how a band like Midland got signed to Big Machine, and how a song like “Drinkin’ Problem” made its way onto the charts, there’s your answer.
“It’s not something that I offer up in conversation with other country acts and people in Nashville. But the word has gotten out,” Midland’s Cameron Duddy tells Chris Willman in an article on Variety. “Everyone loves Bruno Mars, and I quickly realized that it’s a great thing to be associated with him, no matter what kind of music you play. And with Bruno, when we were getting record deal offers a couple years ago, he called one day and said, ‘I just heard your music. If I can help, I would love to sign you. I’m still trying to get my label up off the ground at Atlantic Records, but fly out here to Los Angeles with the band and let’s talk.'”
That’s right, Midland got their record deal with Big Machine by leveraging the possibility of signing with Bruno Mars, and landed a deal with Scott Borchetta that Duddy says, “was an offer we couldn’t refuse.” Doesn’t really sound like the sisters of the poor situation the band has been crying about in interviews to attempt to sell their authenticity, does it?
We’ve seen people complain in the past whenever hip-hop or R&B artists get nominated or perform on country awards shows that you don’t see the same acceptance and appreciation reciprocated by the BET Awards, for example. Well that technically is no longer true. Cameron Duddy won a BET Award back in June for the same Bruno Mars “24K Magic” video. Of course it wasn’t for a country or country-inspired effort, but it does underscore the connected nature of Cameron Duddy, and Midland. The band’s main frontman Mark Wystrach also has a past in entertainment as a soap opera actor and underwear model.
The article in Variety on Cameron Duddy and his VMA nominations also states, “At the moment, the freshman country band Midland has the most-played song in that format in the nation, according to Country Aircheck, with debut single ‘Drinkin’ Problem.'” Actually, it’s #4 in Country Aircheck, unless Variety knows something the rest of us don’t. But it will be a #1 soon enough, which shouldn’t surprise anyone since it was co-written by hitmaker and Nashville power broker Shane McAnally—the man pulling the levers behind Sam Hunt’s success.
What does any of this have to do with the quality of Midland’s music or the infectiousness of “Drinkin’ Problem”? Absolutely positively nothing. Any true fan of music should regard the origins of artists with a grain of sand and ask themselves how good the music is and judge it on its own merit. And when judging the music of Midland, it’s pretty good.
But every time another story comes down the pike painting them as “Texas Country” or “authentic,” it erodes the legitimacy and effectiveness of their careers, at least with dialed-in fans. The fact that Cameron Duddy is up for four VMAs is just further validation, and another reason the band should just be honest about their origins as opposed to telling fans what they think they want to hear.
August 27, 2017 @ 3:43 pm
Excuse me while I go puke.
August 27, 2017 @ 4:49 pm
You know what gets me the most about this? The fact that Midland didn’t have to oversell their authenticity or past to get people to listen. If they had just come out and said “we’re a pop music video director and a former underwear model/soap opera actor, and we make country music,” people would have listened. Granted, a lot of traditionalists would have only listened to hear how bad it could potentially be, but they wouldve been surprised when the music came out good, and the group wouldn’t have the baggage it does now.
August 27, 2017 @ 6:11 pm
You ‘writers’ here are the epitome of sour grapes, bullied widdle kid from high school who gets all petulant when other achieve success through their talent, hard work and ye, dealings.
August 27, 2017 @ 9:20 pm
“Hard work” he/she says.
August 27, 2017 @ 10:38 pm
Hard work + underwear model = the jokes practically write themselves #hardscrabble
Ride on alpine cowboy, ride on lol
***& don’t let the (barn)door hitya
August 29, 2017 @ 11:51 am
@ Alpine Cowboy – The word “talent” is subjective in case you haven’t noticed. Justin Beiber has made a boatload of money..that doesn’t mean he has “talent” as you say..
August 27, 2017 @ 6:38 pm
Two words I didn’t need to see today: underwear model
August 27, 2017 @ 6:45 pm
If there’s one thing I dislike as much as “fake” country, it’s “fake” artists pretending to be “real” country artists. I realize that makes me sound like I’m trying to be a gatekeeper for what “true” country music is, but I just can’t stand how all these guys had to do was release one single with a strong steel guitar presence, dress up like a bunch of Seattle hipsters who stopped into a Cavender’s once, and all of a sudden they’re being praised by the mainstream as the saviors of “real” country music. And if I’m being honest, I don’t think “Drinkin’ Problem” is all that great anyway. A step up from all the metro-bro stuff, but still subpar nonetheless.
August 27, 2017 @ 7:05 pm
Royalty checks should go straight to Mr. Jimmy Buffett.
“Drinking Problem” is pure shite.
Assclowns
August 27, 2017 @ 8:17 pm
I’ll fully admit to loving “Drinking Problem”, but a lot of the videos I’ve seen of Midland performing live really do look like an all-cowboy country version of the Village People. Or grown men indulging in their cowboy fantasies on Halloween, take your pick.
August 27, 2017 @ 8:31 pm
That’s the thing that bothers me the most about this whole experiment as well, and it reminds me a lot of Jana Kramer. As much as I have enjoyed songs from both Jana and Midland, there’s very much a “dress-up” element to their acts, as if they don’t really want to be country artists as much as they want to play the role of a “country artist.”
August 28, 2017 @ 1:50 pm
Honestly, I couldn’t give two shits less about their background. I judge solely based on music and how much the artist or group seems to care about country music. I love Drinkin’ Problem. I think it’s a great song and it sure as hell is a breath of fresh air on country radio, even if it does sound out of place amongst the Sam Hunts and Puke Bryans of the world (in a good way). The rest of their EP is quite good, and their new single “Make a Little”, though not as good as Drinkin’ Problem, is also good.
I completely get what you are saying about the comparison between Midland and Jana Kramer. In my opinion, the last good song Jana put out was I Got the Boy. I did like her entire first album, as well. That being said, after I Got the Boy, it was almost as if she quit trying and didn’t care about country music anymore. Her last three singles have been straight-up pop, and, unlike acts like Lauren Alaina and Maren Morris, it’s not even good pop. I’d rather shit fire than listen to Said No One Ever, Circles, or I’ve Done Love (her terrible new song) ever again. Again, even though Midland seems a bit fishy, they at least try to be and sound country, and through their music, they seem to at least care about the roots of country music. And truthfully, that’s more than about 80-85% of the artists in Nashville do nowadays.
August 29, 2017 @ 11:53 am
Do you care if a band rips off another artists song note for note? ‘Drinkin Problem’ is a 100% direct ripoff of David Ball’s ‘Thinkin Problem’
August 30, 2017 @ 11:31 am
The two songs are almost nothing alike. ‘Thinkin Problem’ the main focus is a woman and in ‘Drinkin Problem’ it’s the drinking. The melody of the songs are nothing alike and other than the lyric “it’s a broken hearted thinkin problem” none of the lyrics are similar. One can be inspired by another and not be a rip off. If this is a rip-off, so are a ton of other songs.
August 27, 2017 @ 9:07 pm
They’ve now released 5 songs from their debut and they’re all as country than Drinking Probs, if not moreso. The tracks are damned good. I’d probably have them playlisted if I didn’t know the backstory & the pained, expensive & overtly obvious ways they force their “authenticity” on us. I know it’s supposed to be about just the music, but I can’t get passed the Posuer Probability
August 27, 2017 @ 11:19 pm
Well if Ya’ll weren’t a bunch of internet nerds you’d probably just hear the song, maybe say “hey that sounds pretty good” and move on with your life. Nashville dishes out some decent stuff and you fuckers piss all over it cause of “authenticity issues”. Whatever who cares, carry on…….
August 28, 2017 @ 5:33 am
Nashville is also responsible for Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Cole Swindell, Haley Georgia…
.
Nashville is doing a fine enough job of pissing all over itself. It doesn’t need the help of, as you call us, “internet nerds.”
August 28, 2017 @ 6:21 pm
Midland is only halfway decent if you are comparing them against other “country” acts in the Nashville mainstream right now. To me, that isn’t a very high bar. And Nashville / big machine deserves zero props for creating and putting out an insincere, manufactured “vocal trio” like Midland. Yes, they are better than Luke Bryan, etc, but that doesn’t even begin to put them in the same realm as other guys and gals out there these days.
August 27, 2017 @ 11:53 pm
”…….at least with dialed-in fans. ”
and there’s the rub , Trigger . most ‘ country fans aren’t dialed into anything more than LB’s touche ‘n teeth . and as you say ( and I’m paraphrasing ) ‘ so what as long as the music is good ‘ . yeah ….exactly . IF the music is REAL and coming from an honest , authentic place in terms of narrative and instrumentation ( ie REAL players and singers ) and , of course , has a heavy dose of tradition ….hell …that tells me SOMEBODY gets it . and that’s the stuff I’d like today’s young -ish country music fan to be exposed to much more often .
it pays ,in these times ,for ANY vocalist , musician or songwriter to have as many irons in the fire as she/he can possibly juggle simply for survival’s sake . its is one very very tough racket to be trying to make a living in right now , as we all know .
August 28, 2017 @ 3:33 am
Midland will be #1 on today’s mediabase chart (for last week). It was their push week. Charts are pretty predictable up at the top, especially mediabase.
August 28, 2017 @ 8:14 am
The fact that a journalist can predate what isn’t a prediction, but a fact about who will be at the top of the charts five days before the chart is released is a troubling sign for the industry. It means these #1’s are even more automatic than previously stated.
Still, that statement was incorrect. If it was for next week, then that’s what needed to be stated.
August 28, 2017 @ 8:29 am
Billboard is (slightly) less manipulated & predictable. But MB you can usually do several weeks out, never mind several days. Side note, midland will only get a mb #1, they won’t get bb.
August 28, 2017 @ 3:33 pm
It really is an indictment of country radio and the programmers that work in it. Of course the labels are going to want their acts to be played a lot and when they want them to but the radio people don’t have to go along with the labels. They should play what is working for their listeners not what some label guy says to play that week.
The whole system is ridiculously incestuous at this point.
August 28, 2017 @ 5:17 pm
I mean, it’s definitely manipulated, but basically nothing is getting into the top 5 & very rarely the top 10 without at least decent testing among radio listeners.
For instance dierk’s current single can’t even break into the top 40.
August 28, 2017 @ 5:29 pm
It’s the timing and the ‘I say jump, you say how high’ activity that gets me. And the game is given away when these songs utterly collapse immediately after the push. Why did these programmers love that Rascal Flatts song so much and then run from it like the plague a mere days later.
In a lot of ways that stupid Sam Hunt song is one of the few songs that behaved rationally. It’s garbage but it’s undeniably popular and it lingered for weeks and is still pulling fairly big audience as a recurrent.
August 28, 2017 @ 5:23 am
I love Midland. Don’t care how they got their start. Refreshing to hear a song that doesn’t sound like 5-6 other acts in country music now.
August 29, 2017 @ 11:45 am
Refreshing?? Doesn’t sound like??..Midland’s ‘Drinking problem’ is an almost identical, note for note ripoff of David Ball’s ‘Thinkin Problem’ – the refrain is 100% identical to Ball’s song.
August 28, 2017 @ 5:35 am
Seems like a boy band to me. I watched a minute of the video and those two dudes almost kissed each other half a dozen times. Must be the puppet master’s influence, as well.
August 28, 2017 @ 8:20 am
That has always been the feeling I get as well. Keep in mind, they aren’t really a “band” at all. They have been described as a “vocal trio” many places, which is more accurate. Their latest western costumes are pretty ridiculous as well (when worn by them) http://midlandofficial.com/biography
August 28, 2017 @ 6:26 am
Any true fan of music should regard the origins of artists with a grain of sand and ask themselves how good the music is and judge it on its own merit. And when judging the music of Midland, it’s pretty good.
All I know by them is Drinkin’ Problem, which I heard on wife/kids station maybe a week ago. Had to look up who it was and found out it was that band Midland. I thought it was the best non-Stapleton song I’d heard on a pop country station since Tim McGraw’s Diamonds and Barstools. I’m not about to rush out to buy their album, but it was nice to be able to enjoy a new song on the radio.
August 28, 2017 @ 6:31 am
I really don’t give a damn what they’re background is as long as the music’s good, and so far it has been.
August 28, 2017 @ 6:32 am
When I see them dressed up in their Urban Cowboy outfits, I’m reminded of The Eagles on the cover of their Desperado album. But The Eagles had better country music chops than Midland does in my opinion. Your results may vary.
August 28, 2017 @ 6:39 am
I like but don’t love The Eagles. Desperado, however, is an album that I love.
August 28, 2017 @ 6:51 am
Agree….I thought Lyin’ Eyes was a pretty good country rock song too.
August 28, 2017 @ 11:55 pm
‘Lyin Eyes ‘ is a song- writing clinic in the truest country/folk/roots sense . It has a purpose …it has a strong well-crafted memorable lyric which moves the narrative along while delivering one of THE most sing-along-able choruses in popular misc ever . I think the Eagles songs should be mandatory study for any aspiring songwriter …especially an aspiring country writer ….and especially when you hear what passes as a ‘song’ on country radio today .
‘ City girls just seem to find out early
How to open doors with just a smile ”
opening lyric lines don’t get any better
August 28, 2017 @ 6:38 am
Is the band officially only the three guys?
Fourteen Gears is a good song, and they made a video for it, but it’s not on the upcoming album.
August 28, 2017 @ 8:22 am
Yes. They aren’t a band in the traditional sense. They are a “vocal trio”. Maybe their success will start a new trend of traditional country influenced boy bands…… ; )
August 28, 2017 @ 6:38 am
Is there a dude ranch in Midland? Is that the actual source of their name?
‘Cause they’re on every Cowboy Fantasy Camp playlist there is.
Walkup music for ‘Bull Barrel’ riding.
August 28, 2017 @ 10:18 am
If there’s one thing I hate about music critics, it’s when they hate on people for their talents because they have none of there own. This article and subsequent comment forum reads like a yelp review for Country music when nobody’s actually eaten at the restaurant they are reviewing.
You act as if Cameron Duddy’s accolades somehow discredit his entire body of work on the country music scene. I’d challenge any one here on this forum to either get a single VMA, BET award, or put out a #1 hit in the country music charts. A single one…let alone all three is an amazing accomplishment any way you write it.
But go ahead and keep on detracting and missing out on good music from good people out there.
August 28, 2017 @ 10:38 am
Let me break this down in more simple terms: If you try to sell people on the idea that you’re this scraggly, road-worn Texas country guy to slagged it out in empty honky tonks to earn some poetic appreciation for your authenticity, when in reality you were hanging out in L.A. producing videos for one of your best friends, Bruno Mars, and making six figures and earning major industry awards, then you are lying to people. I don’t fault Cameron Duddy for his success. Congratulations to him for doing something the industry recognizes at its top levels. But there are HUNDREDS of country artists struggling to get by in Texas, paying dues, playing music between odd jobs, that don’t have any connections to get them ahead in the industry like Cameron Duddy did. Midland is trying to abscond with this rugged, poetic narrative for their marketing when it’s untrue, while scores of artists are living it out in real time, and are not getting nearly the attention. I don’t give a shit what Cameron Duddy’s story is as long as the music is good. But when you start lying to me, I’m going to speak up.
And as for this idea that critics don’t have a right to criticize, esp. until we’ve had a #1 ourselves. So you don’t have a right to criticize the President until you’ve been President? That makes everyone’s political opinion illegitimate. When you can’t criticize the facts or opinions being given because they’re bulletproof, you criticize the person giving them. Criticize me all you want, but it doesn’t make me wrong.
August 28, 2017 @ 11:20 am
Arguments like Frank’s are ridiculous. Critics and consumers have every right to form opinions on music artists. In this case specifically, the topic of country music authenticity is one that is discussed often on SCM, and the Midland / Big Machine marketing phenomena is a very relevant and interesting topic for SCM to cover. The whole “let’s see you do it better” thing is ridiculous. It’s like saying that nobody has the right to follow pro sports and criticize players unless they could be put on the playing field and outperform the athletes they are criticizing.
August 28, 2017 @ 11:28 am
Frank C,
With the drivel that Midland et. al. are putting out, I shouldn’t have any problem going #1 on the Billboard chart or getting an award with a song that I can write and perform.
August 28, 2017 @ 1:35 pm
Most of the criticism here is not about their music, so that’s a good sign that the band (or whatever you call them) is doing something right.
But it is frustrating when these guys just waltz in with their elitist uncountry connections and pretend that they’ve “earned it” just like everybody else.
What I really don’t understand is the huge numbers of folks who just follow along with obvious lies like this, and even go so far as to defend exactly what they would otherwise find indefensible. This idiot sheep culture has pervaded every corner of our society, and I don’t get it.
For me it’s simple: just be honest, especially about who you are, and I’ll give you a chance. If you can’t even walk that basic line it’s not worth my time.
August 28, 2017 @ 6:25 pm
Exactly. Go take a look at their Facebook page. Nearly all of the comments are by younger women who seem to be infatuated with how sexy they are (similar to a Sam Hunt, etc etc.). It’s the same group of “fans” who will eat up any crappy pop song they hear on “country” radio. They could care less about what an artist stands for, their back story, etc.
August 28, 2017 @ 2:32 pm
We used to wonder at the radio station I worked at during the time, what Milli Vanilli would look like country.
Now we know.
August 28, 2017 @ 3:14 pm
People like the music so what’s the problem? They didn’t need the oh shucks country backstory but how much of that is marketing from their label side?
August 28, 2017 @ 8:50 pm
Funny how much love Midland got from commenters here when they came out but now are bashing them for having jobs. Many musicians have jobs outside music to pay the bills until they achieve some success, though I guess video producer and model isn’t the norm. But if you are a video producer, and someone with the influence of Bruno Mars likes your work and offers to help your band, why wouldn’t you take him up on that offer?
Who’s the fake, the fans who liked the music until they read an article saying they were fake and then changed their minds, or the band who played the music you liked but isn’t as Country as you thought?
August 28, 2017 @ 10:54 pm
Haven’t seen anybody here bashing Midland for “having jobs.”
August 29, 2017 @ 9:45 am
I don’t recall Midland getting any kind of universal praise on here when they first came out. The theme I have mostly seen is “they are ok, but certainly a hell of a lot better than other stuff on the radio”. And if there were people praising them, I think the same people are still doing so. Second, as Trigg points out, nobody has bashed them for having a specific type of job. What we have called out is how they and the label have gone to great lengths to concoct a story of them being down and out, good ol Texas boys who struggled and paid their dues through the Texas honky tonk circuit. In reality, they were just normal LA hipsters (take a look at some of their instagram pics from years ago) who fairly recently met at a cushy wedding in Jackson Hole (which was so cushy that it was covered by PEOPLE Magazine) and decided to do a “california country” / modern Eagles thing……which was quickly latched onto by Big Machine as something they could push to radio as their new authentic traditional country act comprised of dudes with what apparently are model good looks.
Now stepping back, if they would have just been themselves, avoided the country costumes and makeup and made music, nobody on here or elsewhere would have a leg to stand on, because the “you have to be from an authentic country background to make good country music” argument is about 95% bullshit. It would have been kind of cool to see a group of guys from LA….including an accomplished music video producer….making halfway decent country and making inroads into the abysmal country radio scene. With Big Machine’s backing, the guys from Midland totally could have done this (I don’t think their core “radio country” fan base cares much about their country costumes….they care more about how sexy the band is) and had just about the same success, if not more.
But, the route they chose to take is completely worthy of criticism. Especially on a site like this that often delves beyond just the music into discussions of the role “authenticity” plays in music, how Nashville stars are marketed, etc.
August 29, 2017 @ 11:02 am
I get it. I have been following the stories. These guys came out and portrayed themselves as one thing, and turns out they are something else. They have lied to the fanbase. I just find the piling on a bit hilarious. And now the big ah-ha, we caught you having non-country jobs like modeling and music video production, and mingling with pop stars like Bruno Mars, when the initial reception for these guys was pretty positive. When Trigger reviewed the band’s album and gave it a decent review I commented that after listening to the samples I was passing. I was starting to second guess that decision after the positive comments about the band for the review and after. I didn’t buy the album by the way.
Sure, these guys are not your average mainstream country stars, but do you like their music or not? Isn’t the character and career assassination a bit overkill?
August 29, 2017 @ 11:24 am
Sorry, I forgot to leave out that I don’t really like the music either. It’s a bit too glossy / pop-forward to be anything that I would listen to on a regular basis. But, I fully admit that a caveat is necessary with that assessment: I do think it would be a big step forward if their style of country could start to replace the abysmal stuff that makes it on “country” radio these days. It will be interesting to see if they have enough success to get Nashville to start putting a bit more focus on curating more traditional country acts, vs. the cookie cutter bro stuff they have been pushing for way too long.
August 29, 2017 @ 3:36 am
Listened to the songs, and watched a couple of live videos. The music is inoffensive and would’ve been B-side stuff 30 years ago. What I don’t fully understand is…what is the purpose of the other two (non-underwear-model) guys? They contribute…nothing that I can tell. All three play the same instrument. I hear nothing in their harmonies that would warrant having them around.
August 29, 2017 @ 11:38 am
David Ball should file a lawsuit against Midland for ripping off his song “Thinkin Problem” That is exactly one of the things wrong with today’s so-called “country” music. Absolute zero originality.
August 30, 2017 @ 8:06 am
As if you needed another reason to dislike these clowns, take a look at their merchandise page. $500 “Personalized Plaque”. Good lord. Any artist with a half a backbone or integrity would laugh their merchandise person out of the room if they proposed something like that. https://midland.pmstores.co/
August 30, 2017 @ 11:05 am
They have nothing to say.
August 30, 2017 @ 12:08 pm
Is it possible for both statements to be true? I mean, Mark’s acting career looks to be fairly small-scale and if Cameron’s outside success is all linked to a song that Bruno released last year, is them putting their time in on the road and dives unlikely enough to assume they’ve had an easy road to success? Or that one would prove the other wrong?
Also, not that her music is to my taste but why is there so much hate for Taylor Swift? She announced her last album was a pop album so i assume this one is too. So, other than rightfully complaining it’s being played on country radio, I don’t get the hate. This being a country music site that i don’t believe criticizes the likes of artists that are outside of the genre. Can’t she change genres if she wants? Even come back when she feels it’s time for her? Didn’t Willie do a reggae album?
August 31, 2017 @ 3:04 pm
All I know is I love the EP I’m looking forward to the album. I get why Trigger (and some of you are upset) and even he admits he likes the tunes. I like the Bruno Mars story and actually I like Bruno Mars although I’ve never seen the video and don’t really care that Cameron made it. It’s about the music and I like it. When I go see them open for Jon Pardi I’ll give my opinion on how they are live. If they suck I’ll let you know. And to the guy that keeps harping on the similarities of David Ball’s song? Yeah, there’s a little big fuckin deal. AC/DC could sue half the rock community if you look at it that way. It’s just music and whatever it takes is what it takes to get noticed.