Classifying my music

[SongwriterFan]

When I release my music with CDBaby, I am given the ability to classify my music as TWO genres (and one sub-genre under each one). I choose Country and Folk as the two main genres. The sub-genre Singer-Songwriter is available under Folk (which I choose), and I forget at the moment what the sub-category is I choose under Country.

Then there's contests . . . I think so far I've always chosen "Country".

I entered another contest earlier this year, and apparently they didn't ask for a category at the time, but NOW they are . . but choosing seems difficult. Four of the categories would seem to apply:

Country
Folk/Singer-Songwriter
Americana
Indie (since I'm an independent artist) . . heck, probably all of the submissions to these contests could be classified as Indie.

What do you think would be be the best classification?


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9-...3Cca2rpKY62jAw

[TBman]

Originally Posted by SongwriterFan

When I release my music with CDBaby, I am given the ability to classify my music as TWO genres (and one sub-genre under each one). I choose Country and Folk as the two main genres. The sub-genre Singer-Songwriter is available under Folk (which I choose), and I forget at the moment what the sub-category is I choose under Country.

Then there's contests . . . I think so far I've always chosen "Country".

I entered another contest earlier this year, and apparently they didn't ask for a category at the time, but NOW they are . . but choosing seems difficult. Four of the categories would seem to apply:

Country
Folk/Singer-Songwriter
Americana
Indie (since I'm an independent artist) . . heck, probably all of the submissions to these contests could be classified as Indie.

What do you think would be be the best classification?


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9-...3Cca2rpKY62jAw

What's the distinction between the 2nd and 3rd? I know in County you either have to have a girlfriend/wife/horse leave you, a dog dying or your foot getting run over by a pickup truck to qualify ( ), but Folk - Americana? I'm lost.

[SongwriterFan]

Originally Posted by TBman

What's the distinction between the 2nd and 3rd?

No idea. That's the issue.

[mr. beaumont]

Maybe Country/Americana?

That would seem to me to say "country, but not modern pop country."

Americana kind of encompasses country, folk, singer songwriter stuff with a definite nod and respect to older styles while still being "current." If that makes any sense?

[Mandobart]

I'd check out a sampling of other people's songs on the platform. Is your music and delivery more aligned with what today's "country" sounds like (gotta have the fake accent these days) or another genre/sub-genre?

[Gitfiddlemann]

(Modern) Country is what comes to mind after listening to a few samples.
It fits better than the other categories listed.

[schmalex]

Definitely sounds like "Modern Country" to me from listening to the first few tracks on "More Dollars than Sense".

I'm not exactly sure what the exact lines between Folk / Americana / Country, but in my opinion "Americana" music sounds like an off-shoot of Country that doesn't seem to lean so hard into the heavily accented Southern / Cowboy-vibe as most "Modern Country" does.

Maybe Americana has more of the Western / California influence like The Eagles, etc.

[JonPR]

I agree, go with Country, with Folk/Singer-Songwriter a 2nd option.

To me (and admittedly I'm in the UK...), "Americana" suggests something more vintage, like bluegrass, Carter family, western swing, jug bands and so on - certainly with strong traditional references.
And "Indie" would be something more off the wall, left-field; modern but with various influences; the implication being that you sound outside the mainstream, somewhat quirky. Your sound is fully within the mainstream country sound, IMO (vocally anyway).

Can you listen to other examples of the styles as they define them (or as other artists define themselves)? That would be the only way to be sure.

[BlueStarfish]

Listening to a few of the tracks, I agree the musical vibe is “country.”

Based on the lyrics of the two I listened to, I’d suggest “Americana” as the second category. The “Americana” genre is a kind of funny thing. It’s got two different things going on, at the same time. The first is a musical emphasis on more classic-country musical sounds (including acoustic but also electric sounds, even including country-rock), and a de-emphasis on more modern country-pop and country-rap type sounds. Plenty of room for fiddles, banjos, mandolins, steel guitars, flat-picking D18’s, telecasters, even accordians. Drums or not to taste. Acoustic or electric bass to taste. No horns. No cameo from Pitbull. You get the idea.

And the second thing going on in Americana is a difference in artist and audience segmentation and lyrical topics. You’ll see songs that are classic roots topics (broken hearts, murder ballads, etc.) and also song topics that have a more progressive viewpoint. But you won’t see the bro-country type song topics that seem to dominate the Country charts these days. Additionally, many of the artists are ones with more explicitly liberal or even progressive political viewpoints, who therefore have not been warmly embraced by the traditional Country music radio stations and audiences (see: Chicks; Kacey Musgraves). And the audience for Americana tends to be more urban and less conservative than for Country. So in a way, it’s a bit of a rhyming of the Outlaw Country movement from 30-40 years ago.

Anyways listening to your first two tracks I clicked … Americana seems like it might be a good fit for you.

[Railroad Bum]

I would call your stuff country music. Your voice reminds me a little bit of Dudley Connell, who sang with The Johnson Mountain Boys and The Seldom Scene. Here's a sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8f0VeoLCAM