It’s likely a combination of all of these factors that are affecting the prospects of music tours. But among all the other excuses and explanations, there is one factor few if anyone is citing.
The new big thing on country radio is an old big thing: Taylor Swift. The global superstar released a new song called “I Knew It, I Knew You” on June 5th as part of the Toy Story 5 soundtrack, with the marketing claiming it’s a country song.
The New York Times did do something last week to help address the continuing controversy around their songwriters list, and it became an excellent illustration of the deeper cultural rot at the heart of elite music coverage.
It’s her actions, it’s her music, and whatever beliefs she espouses publicly that Ella Langley should be judged on. This guilt by association is irresponsible, reckless, unfounded, and potentially, outright incorrect.
The continued frustration with how the media and journalists decidedly outside of the country music fold decide to commentate on the genre irresponsibly was sent into the stratosphere recently by an article in NY Mag.
When searching on Spotify for the new Paul Cauthen album by quite literally entering “Paul Cauthen,” the very first thing that came up and in highlighted form was Charley Crockett’s ‘Age of the Ram.’
Cumulus Media, the owner of some 65 country music radio stations in the United States, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy yet again. The company first filed for bankruptcy in 2017.
Congratulations ‘Rolling Stone,’ you have finally found the veritable bottom of what anyone would ever be able to classify as “musical journalism.” This is so bad, this is so egregious…
Some of the most critically-acclaimed artists of the era are struggling financially. All these issues feel especially exacerbated when certain performers can simply pay their way to the front of the line.
It’s difficult to impossible to figure out why Ballerini’s appearance would have any benefit for either party. Austin music fans, and Austin City Limits faithful would find little to no appeal in a Nashville pop star.
‘The Wall Street Journal’ stepped in it pretty good late last week while strangely deciding to step into the realm of country music by initially characterizing Johnny Cash as “uncool.”
Local, independent, and objective voices seem fewer and farther between in music media as legacy media institutions are gutted, public funding dries up, and attention is channeled elsewhere.
Music labels have been leaving major opportunities to promote their catalogs and performers on the table with their punitive copyright claims that make it impossible to feature music on music podcasts.
We’ve been here before. A fan favorite from the independent country world makes a surprising impact in the insular, archaic world of mainstream country radio, and gets us all excited at the prospects.
In video taken at the Ghost Ranch of fellow country rapper Ryan Upchurch, Jelly Roll is heard using the N-word in conversation. Though the video has been out for months, the media has not reported on it.
The name Jim Asker probably doesn’t ring a bell to you. But as Billboard’s senior manager of the country music charts, some of his decisions over the last decade have been the most titanic, and historically significant.
Where you’d never hear many of the artists you read about on Saving Country Music on your local country radio station, you very well might on the local NPR affiliate.
Beloved and long-time DJ Jeff Hoag is out at radio station WSM in Nashville. As the weeknight host of “WSM At Night” as well as the Opry warm up show, Jeff Hoag became a familiar and beloved voice to many fans.
The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications have received fair criticism here for missing the moment in country and roots. But a new New York Times article gets it right.
The idea that print journalism and music media can just trundle forward with business as usual acting like the entire industry isn’t in many ways imploding underneath us doesn’t make sense for anyone.
Like Zach Top’s meteoric success, it symbolizes the resurgence of neotraditional country in the mainstream, and is opening up doors for other traditional country artists.
The massive Boys From Oklahoma extravaganza is happening in Stillwater, Oklahoma this weekend. This is where Cross Canadian Ragweed will officially reunify.
If you want a perfect example of why some of these gross inequities pervade the music industry, one great example is the way the return of Jessica Simpson to music has been so slavishly lauded by the press.
What is “authenticity” in country music, and why is it so important? And should it be? This is a question many love to ask, but the answer isn’t simple. The authenticity question is intertwined with the history of country music.