An article posted in the two major publications claims listeners will hear 44 men on country radio before they hear a woman. But the real number was supposed to be 4.4. The next question is how did a title and an article this egregiously false get published in two major American periodicals?
“Old Town Road” is now the #1 song in all of music. However it wasn’t just the infectiousness of the track that got it there. It was also due to indisputably incorrect and biased reporting by major media outlets, from legacy music magazines such as Rolling Stone, all the way up to NPR and The New York Times.
The debate about what is country music and what isn’t is an eternal one. But a 1:53-long viral “song” that is really nothing more than an internet meme entitled “Old Town Road” by rapper “Lil Nas X” has rekindled the debate anew, with critical implications behind it.
“Stunning” is the only way to put this. “A shot out of the dark” might be another. “Awesome” would be a third. But however you want to put it, “King” George Strait is back on country radio, and in a big way with his brand new single “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar.”
Congratulations to Kacey Musgraves and all involved in the Grammy wins. But this is no time to rest on laurels. And luckily, they’re not. It’s time to take this Grammy momentum, and make some inroads into radio. And that is exactly what Musgraves and MCA Nashville are trying to do with “Rainbow.”
When it comes to the hottest acts in mainstream country music at the moment, it’s the tale of three names: Kane Brown, Dan+Shay, and Luke Combs. And as a conscientious country music fan, if you had to root for one of them to succeed above the others, without hesitation you would have to go with Luke Combs.
“Some Of It” was written by Eric Church with common collaborator Jeff Hyde, along with Clint Daniels and Bobby Pinson. The song explores how you gain wisdom and knowledge as you go through life, some through experience, some from what you read or learn, some that you pick up and cherish for life…
The Americana Music Association has released the Top 100 Albums and Songs for 2018 according to the amount of radio play each album and song received. The annual report gives listeners a glimpse into the albums, songs, and artists that gained traction in the format over the year, and is a good tool to see what you missed.
This story has been updated. The big news in country music on Wednesday (12-5) was how for the first time in the nearly 30-year history of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, there wasn’t even one woman represented in the Top 20. By Billboard’s charting methods, this is true. And regardless of whatever other clarification points proceed […]
When the Pistol Annies sent the first single from their new record Interstate Gospel to radio, it came with a letter from the chairman and CEO of Sony Music Nashville, Randy Goodman. In that letter, Mr. Goodman made a personal plea to radio programmers to give preferred treatment to the Pistol Annies in their playlists.
The good news is that country music legend Loretta Lynn is doing fine after a recently experiencing a short stomach flu. The bad news is that a string of fake news stories have made it across the internet that the 86-year-old’s health has gone through a major setback.
“As far as government politics, hell no!” said original ‘Rolling Stone Country’ Senior Editor Beville Dunkerley in May of 2014, assuring readers the publication would not engage in political discourse as part of its country music coverage. Now that has all changed.
With the crush of new music constantly barraging consumers, the essential function of a single is to make one song a centerpiece representation of an artist’s work to draw further attention to their overall efforts and career. This is the tried-and-true system that has been in place for popular music for nearly a century.
The original assertion remains and is now underscored by this latest article: Vulture and others did a disservice to the public, to country music, and to Kacey Musgraves by setting up unrealistic expectations of her work with irresponsible hyperbole, tried to use her record to create a political and cultural wedge.
A couple of days after Carrie Underwood called out country radio for not supporting strong women, it’s become official that Carrie Underwood’s latest single “Cry Pretty” is done at radio, will be the worst-performing single of her career, and has tanked two weeks ahead of her new album being released.
Country isn’t the only music community scratching its head while a fairly innocuous and forgettable pop song rewrites history by hitting record marks for its time at #1 on a genre specific chart, or a performer or group who doesn’t even seem to belong in the genre dominates that genre’s most important chart metrics.
Music journalism has been integrated by acolytes of the gender bias in language school who believe music should be dealt with using the same set of guidelines as the business professional world. But there are multiple dilemmas this creates in the world of creative expression that is fundamentally different from the professional world.
It remains stupefying why pop star Maren Morris continues to be portrayed as a leader, feminist, and groundbreaker, etc. in country music by fawning media members who’ve been rendered starry-eyed simply because they’re find guilty pleasure in some of her tunes.
Are you tired of reading about Garth Brooks? Well tough, because all of a sudden he’s making major moves that could have a big impact on country music, and in a positive manner. Garth’s most country-sounding song in 2 decades was the most added song on country radio in the last 3 years.
It can’t be expressed vehemently enough how rare to downright non-existent actual criticism of music from country music “critics” and journalists is in the marketplace at the moment. But AJ McLean and “Back Porch Bottle Service” has inexplicably brought out a surprisingly critical consensus among country music “critics.”
It’s 24 weeks atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for Bebe Rexha’s collaboration with Florida Georgia Line, “Meant To Be.” This means the song first recorded and released solely as a pop single has now tied Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” for the 2nd longest-running #1 single in the Billboard Hot Country Songs history.
Being an independent music artist is not easy. Adversity lurks everywhere, and the cards are stacked against you. But it’s nice to have auspicious enclaves of support to help you upon your journey. For many years, a small nonprofit radio station based in Seattle called KEXP has been that very thing for bands.
After the #1 success Chris Stapleton had with his previous single “Broken Halos,” his camp has called an audible last minute, and decided to switch up the next song they will send to radio. The rocking and heavy “Midnight Train to Memphis” from his latest album From A Room: Vol. 2 was supposed to be the next single.
The coverage of Kacey Musgraves’ ‘Golden Hour’ has displayed such an aberration of truths, perspective, knowledge of the country and roots realm, and in some instances even common sense, it illustrates a widespread embarrassment for the entire music media pool, and the journalism industry in general.