Country Music Radio
 

Bobby Bones Draws Ire for Saying The Quiet Part Out Loud


Luckily though, there’s never been more avenues to circumvent Music Row. So keep crying and shaking your little balled-up fists at “the system,” or get busy working beyond it. That’s what Willie and Waylon did. And that’s what guys like Tyler Childers and Cody Jinks are doing today, and succeeding by doing it their own way.



https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/b...part-out-loud/

Aaron Watson, Randall King and Cody Johnson are the 3 best real country artists out there right now.

In your opinion.

Non-mainstream country is just like the current split In the Bluegrass genre. You have your more traditional artists like The Grascals, Volume Five, Lonesome River Band and then you have what I’d call Alt-bluegrass with artists like Greensky Bluegrass, Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, with fans rarely liking both styles. I think the same can be said for the county segment, with Aaron Watson, Chancey Williams, Randall King, Cody Johnson being more traditional(cowboy) country and Tyler Childers, Cody Jinks, Colter Wall filling the alt-country(outlaw) segment. Just like bluegrass, most fans don’t like both styles. All great singers, but have their dedicated fans.

What are you basing the "like bluegrass, most fans don’t like both styles" assertion on? I've been into bluegrass for over 40 years, and I know many fans (including myself) who enjoy both traditional and modern bluegrass.

One major difference is there are no over-the-air (not Sirius/XM) radio stations playing bluegrass of either traditional or newgrass types. There are lots of stations (all affiliated with Clear Channel) playing today's bro country.

And the statement they're "all great singers" is certainly highly subjective.

I’ll agree about the great singers part, I was trying to be nice. Almost every musician I play with is pretty set in their lane when it comes to traditional or traditional-based bluegrass and some of the stuff they’re trying to pass off as bluegrass, these days. Calling groups like The Dead South, bluegrass is a joke to me and just about everyone I know who plays. I think it’s pretty split with Fans and musician alike and I would say it would almost be like the way Bakersfield country was so different from what Music Row was playing several years ago. West Coast bluegrass seems to be more Newgrass/folkish and not much like the Appalachian based traditional style stuff. This is strictly what I see with the people I pick with and your opinion and experiences may be different.

The point, of the article is; the way hits are arrived at is corporate politics, by empty suits, who don't have a clue about genre, on main stream radio.

Country Music Radio
 

For sure! They’ve all but ruined country music. My kids listen to 90’s country, Waylon, Buck, Merle and artists like that. I put on a thread last week about cover bands having to play music they don’t like to keep a crowd and our band is at the point where we’ll play the REAL stuff that we like versus this garbage they’re putting out today.

Awesome! My kids (35 and 40) like the real stuff too- so do my grand kids ( 7 and 9) one grand daughter (2 1/2) loves Cojo :lol: and, she likes the way Pop did It's Not Supposed To Be That Way- :)

Remember when Waylon, Buck, and Merle were considered crap and not real country? I expect the same will be said about some of the artists from today.

Oh yes. But the funny thing is, we play lots of their music, even in our bluegrass bands and the crowd eats it up every time we play one. There are a few decent Songs played on mainstream country stations, but if I hear a beat mix in a song, I turn the station immediately.

I don't remember that-

Anecdotes: I know my step dad saw Merle Haggard eating at a hamburger joint in Llano, Tx one time- said; looked like he needed a hair cut to me :lol: my grandmother once told me she wouldn't walk across the street to listen to Waylon or Willie- :roll: .... well, I wouldn't walk across the street to see Shooter Jennings either- I paid to see him once- that was more than enough- he didn't get his Daddy's stage presence or talent or personality-

Not everyone liked Elvis, or Sinatra either- the "artist" of today in main stream radio are corporate puppets- the same can't be said for the fore mentioned-
Chet Atkins, a Mr Corporate, once said, of Waylon.... the first time I saw him, I said to myself, he's tall, good looking and can sing- he'll be a star- he became an international star and an icon, in Country Music.. and he and many more shirked/shed themselves of the corporate, empty suit, shenanigans-

Corporate (central planning [politics]) has been the dearth of main stream radio- I remember the hoop la in the news when the scandals de jour were about DJ's and nose candy being behind stars on radio- of course that opened a can of worms and got laws passed which are an antithesis to choice being the driver of consumerism- and now, today, consumers are allowed to listen to what empty suits determine on main stream radio- yet, the Tyler Childers and Cody Jinks of the music industry are racking up fortunes and followers in the millions- without corporate radio interference-

I applaud them for NOT bowing down to the system! They’re selling out every show they do as fast as they announce them and have a HUGE following! So many people don’t take the time to discover these artists and it’s their loss! On a side note, I work security for a local place that has live music every weekend. We have several artists who play Broadway in Nashville that come and play there. I always request Waylon or Merle at every one of these gigs and it’s GUARANTEED that “Mama Tried” is the Merle song they play and Waylon will be either, “Luckenbach, Texas, Mamas Don’t Let You Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys, Good Hearted Woman and Good Ole Boys”. They don’t even take time to dig into their catalogs and find the good stuff. We do a Lonesome, Orn’ry and mean/I’m a Ramblin’ Man medley that is awesome and always gets questions after the show. I do a medley of The Running Kind/I’m a Lonesome Fugitive that is always a crowd favorite too.

I hate country music.

I didn't always, though. I used to work the door at a club here in Florida, and there was one band, who wasn't very good, who would play at least twice a month. They were about as country as a chicken coop.

Well, you know how sometimes a band will change the lyrics of a song because of the city they're in, or the bar they're playing in? Well, these guys would change the lyrics because they forgot them. The lead singer would just vocalize whatever popped into his head. He would do this to at least two or three songs, every single set.

It just got to the point where I hated to listen to country music because it reminded me of this absolutely horrible band...

Actually having a good friend who is VP for a Nashville Publishing concern (will remain unnamed ). Would tell you ...
Yes definitely corporate politics. Yes lawyers and bean counters and executive "suits" both empty and occupied.

But don't fool yourself they are acutely award of the demographics of their target radio audience in the Country Radio genre
They along with their audience in fact created the current homogenized formulaic Country Radio genre. And they understand it very well......

They suffer a severe schizophrenic existence.. They desperately want the next something new and different, but cannot bring themselves to venture outside the formulaic box ....... Now that is not say that no good or interesting country music gets air play, but that is more accident than design...
For the simple reason the current Country Radio target audience does not not want new and different, or progressive, or anything intellectually challenging or profound, or anything not conveniently conservative for that matter.

I would add :: The target audience are in large part pickup driving, boot and hat wearing, wanna-bee's , that want easy, comfortable, tedious, rehashes of beer swilling tailgate party , honkey tonk , my gal left me, wave the flag songs .
They have a complacent , narrow, fear based perspective, so why should the purveyors of their mindless entertainment be any different ?

Lets face it the chances are slim to none that a song like Max Davis's smash hit "In the Ghetto" or even Waylon's "Fly Like an Eagle" would get played on current top Country radio .. kinda sad really