Music Media Outlets ‘Holler’ and ‘Whiskey Riff’ Charging for Coverage

Radio/Media 42 Comments


It’s hard enough for independent music artists to find the support they need to launch sustainable careers, let alone to become the stars of the next generation. As the music marketplace becomes increasingly crowded by the minute, social media loses its social capital, and now that human creators must compete with AI, the gulf between the have’s and the have not’s in music continues to increase, and the idea of meritocracy in the music business becomes more fleeting.

Even some of the most critically-acclaimed artists of the era are struggling financially to make their next album, or to plan their next tour. All these issues feel especially exacerbated when certain performers can simply pay their way to the front of the line when it comes to who benefits from the attention economy.

Similarly, independent festivals that are the lifeblood of the music farm system must constantly fight an uphill battle with major promoters like Live Nation and AEG Presents for attention. These locally and regionally-owned festivals often give the first opportunities to local and regional music acts to play in front of large audiences, and support touring bands traveling through the region.

Music journalism is supposed to be there to help all of this. Not the same as promoters or publicists who are paid to help performers—or ads that try to get the attention of the public directly—journalists are supposed to bring an impartiality to arts coverage. When you see coverage of music from a journalist, it’s supposed to confer a level of credibility to that coverage since it was earned and not paid for. Journalism then supports itself via ad revenue and/or subscriptions and sponsorships.

That is why it’s so critically imperative that performers and their representatives are not able to pay journalists for 3rd party press coverage. They can pay a publicist to help line up coverage from the press, or pay for ads that populate on the pages or videos from media outlets that might cover them. There can also be “in-kind” sponsorship where perhaps an outlet runs ads for a festival in exchange for their logo on posters and other promotion, etc.

But outright paying for coverage is a patently unethical practice frowned upon by any impartial assessment, and participating in it risks the outright implosion of the credibility of the entire music industry as we know it. This is why paying for plays on radio, also known as “payola,” is illegal. The practice actually at one point resulted in a real “Murder On Music Row.”

That is also why it’s so alarming that multiple media outlets covering country music are actively participating in this paid-for media, namely the UK-based country music publication Holler, as well as the mammoth Grand Ole Opry-backed lifestyle publication Whiskey Riff, at least when it comes to festival coverage. Others are participating in it as well.

Without question, similar to artists and festivals themselves, trying to make it as an independent media outlet these days is very difficult. Saving Country Music can attest to this directly. But Whiskey Riff has benefited for a big investment in it by the Grand Ole Opry. Nonetheless, if you’re a festival and you want coverage from Whiskey Riff, it’s going to cost you.

While many outlets like Saving Country Music feature the lineups of music festivals simply as part of the daily news routine, and routinely deploy in-person assets to important festivals to populate in-depth coverage from on the ground, Whiskey Riff is charging for such activity as can be seen by the pitch deck below obtained by Saving Country Music from multiple sources.


Yes, journalists and photographers covering live music events often receive free admission/press passes, and even VIP/pit access to these events, and it’s also not uncommon for events to offer free or discounted accommodations if necessary to get press to their events if they’re in a remote or exclusive location. Traveling to and covering live events can be a costly endeavor.

But outright paying for coverage is not only unethical, it virtually assures that no actual objective coverage of the event will occur. It will simply be promotional copy published by a 3rd party outlet. Unfortunately, this practice is not entirely unheard of when it comes to covering live events. It’s also fair to point out that it might not be required you pay Whiskey Riff for them to announce a festival lineup. But it is the way you can guarantee they will.

Holler has distinguished itself recently as one of the more healthy alternatives in the country music media space. But multiple sources have now reached out to Saving Country Music to confirm they are also beginning to charge for their press coverage. While it’s not mandated that performers pay for press at the publication, this is a way that an artist or band can be guaranteed posts in the publication, top placement in playlists, and on the outlet’s home page. And because this coverage is paid for, it’s a virtual guarantee it won’t be impartial.

Due to the sponsorship packages and in-kind promotion, sometimes the media coverage of events or festivals can exist in a gray area. Where Holler ups the ante is by offering direct press coverage to artists in the publication for the right price. Paying for inclusion in the playlist is payola directly. Below are the rate cards that Holler has been disseminating to publicists, artists, and labels since at least February of 2024.


Another outlet Saving Country Music has confirmed is participating in this paid-for media coverage is All Country News. Their confirmed rate cards are below.


Though publicists, labels, and artists might feel like their doing themselves a favor by paying for this press coverage, doing so undercuts the integrity of the entire industry, while also compelling more outlets to start charging for coverage until these are the only options available. Trust in media is at historic lows, in part because the public distrusts what is objective, and what is sponsored.

Furthermore, some of these practices might be illegal in the United States if sponsored content is not disclosed. The Federal Trade Commission regulates sponsored content, and demands it is disclosed whether in conventional media outlets, or on social media. When reporting previously on some of Whiskey Riff‘s festival coverage, Saving Country Music has noted that the coverage was marked “sponsored,” which in these instances, is the correct thing to do.


Unfortunately, as budget cuts continue to affect arts and music coverage from the media, advertising revenues dwindle, and short form video on social media dominates the media landscape, legitimate and independent music outlets are getting squeezed. But charging for press is no solution. It’s simply a way to exacerbate the public distrust in the media, and ensure that the monied interests in music continue to get an unfair share of the attention while some of the best artists of our era continue to struggle in obscurity.

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Saving Country Music reached out to Holler, Whiskey Riff, and All Country News for comment on this story. Whiskey Riff refused to comment. Holler and All Country News did not respond by the time of this post.

© 2025 Saving Country Music

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