The Split of Top 40 Country & Classic Country Is Upon Us
The country music radio format that has resisted splintering for years could finally be cleaving into two distinct entities of “classic” and “Top 40” country, initiated at least in part over the Memorial Day weekend when a radio station based out of Louisville, KY became the first to adopt a new “classic” country format centered around a 25-year measuring stick.
Though there are many “classic” country stations around the United States, the Summit Media-owned 103.9 in Louisville is the first to implement a much talked about 25-year retrospective that focuses on country music’s breakout era starting in the early 90’s with the rise of Garth Brooks and other powerhouse country stars. In fact to drive the idea home, 103.9 has reformatted the station to where right now they’re playing Garth, and only Garth, and are calling themselves GARTH-FM.
“We feel like this era of music has gotten gradually ignored,” says the Director of Marketing for Summit Media in Louisville, Brian Eichenberger. “And what’s happening now is that country is going more and more pop in a lot of ways. You have the representation on the legends side, but you don’t necessarily have it in that 90’s to 2000’s, to 2002 period where country was really strong. And the best figure head for for that is Garth. So our first move was to make a strong statement about bringing that era back and making it all about Garth. May we add in other artists at some point? That’s highly possible. But right now we really want to make a statement about, ‘What happened to the 90’s? Let’s bring them back.’ And here’s Garth to do it. These guys are a really important part of the dialogue around country music over the last quarter of a century, and they’re disappearing from pop culture. We want to make sure that’s not happening.”
Though the brain trust behind GARTH-FM says their idea predates the big announcement by the Big Machine Label Group and Cumulus Media last week that they will be launching a new NASH Icons venture focusing on the 25-year “classic” country music era, GARTH-FM may eventually sound very much like what NASH Icons has in mind. Since the Summit Media-owned 103.9 in Louisville is autonomous from the reach of Cumulus, their move speaks to the broad-based, multi-company support for a “classic” country format that would need to exist if the idea is to have enough support to truly split country music in two. Summit Media’s Brian Eichenberger thinks this split is a very real possibility.
“This splintering is happening in country music in general, where it’s forming into these two camps where before it has always been one format, and you would say Luke Bryan and Johnny Cash were country, or Luke Bryan and Garth Brooks in the same sentence. But slowly that’s starting to—at least from a radio standpoint—splinter a bit. I mean we hear it all the time. We’ll hear, ‘We’ll I really don’t like country, but I like Florida Georgia Line.’ Or you’ll hear, ‘I really don’t like Florida Georgia Line, that’s a bunch of pop crap. But give me Merle, give me Johnny,’ or even up to ‘Give me Garth and Alan.’ So yeah, I think that’s going to happen.”
In fact we may see it happening among smaller radio stations first, before big companies like Cumulus Media and its NASH Icons venture, or Clear Channel can re-deploy resources to meet the impending trend. “Sometimes when you’re a smaller company you can actually move a little faster,” says Brian Eichenberger. “There’s less parts in the machine to get mobilized. I think we do have that working to our advantage. We’re doing what we think this market in particular needs. We definitely have the support of our corporate office, but we focus as a smaller company on what we can do to really adhere to our metro area and the million people that are here. And we definitely feel like this is something that this market is ready for.”
Though the splitting of the country format in theory means bringing back artists that have been left behind by country radio’s recent obsession with youth, the biggest concern coming from traditional country fans is if the new format might cannibalize some, or many of the traditional country stations out there that already exist, but don’t adhere to the new 25-year format. And according to a recent interview with Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta, that’s exactly what he expects to happen. Borchetta says about NASH Icons, “The new brand will replace many of their classic country stations, plus extend to syndicated shows, secondary station markets, touring and print.”
This concern is further driven home by GARTH-FM, which replaced an already-existing format that focused on classic country outside the 25-year window. “We’re all aging,” Brian Eichenberger explains, “and so slowly the folks that are 40 and 50, the stuff that they remember, the stuff that is their nostalgic go-to music for when they were in high school and college is going to be this stuff that has started to disappear. Whenever there’s a new generation of people coming up, the music they were fond of, that quintessential 16 to 22-year-old range, is the stuff that beings re-appearing.”
However at the heart of the proposed classic country format, even with its 25-year limitation, is to reinstate many artists who’ve been forgotten by mainstream country radio. “We found an open lane,” says Scott Borchetta, “a way for artists like Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Alan Jackson and others to make new music and get it on the radio and tour. We’re going to feature their new music next to the classic songs. So if those are your favorite artists news flash they didn’t die! The business just didn’t take care of them. Artists I talk to about this are thrilled to get their music back on the radio and we hope the fans will engage the same way.”
What could emerge from this format split could be something very similar to rock music, where you have “oldies” stations, “classic” stations, and Top 40 stations. “If you look at radio formats in general, you will see that oldies [rock] format used to live in the 50’s and 60’s, and it has slowly been disappearing,” says Summit Media’s Brian Eichenberger. “Over time, classic rock has moved from being something that started in the 60’s, and went maybe into the early 80’s, and is slowly moving closer and closer to where there’s classic rock stations playing Candlebox and Pearl Jam. As the audience ages, those definitions are going to become a little more fluid. And I do think there’s going to be this country transition where the classic rock of country formats will kind of bridge between the oldies country and the new country.”
May 27, 2014 @ 5:46 pm
I’m not sure if this has been mentioned before, and apologies if it has, but Sirius XM already does this sort of thing with their country music. They have Willie’s Roadhouse which is “Classic country songs from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.”, Prime Country which is essentially this new format of “Country music from the late ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s” and The Highway which is pop country. Of course they go deeper with Outlaw Country and Bluegrass Junction too.
I actually enjoy this format as I can find a station that is just classic stuff or just more modern classics and avoid the new pop country entirely.
May 27, 2014 @ 5:49 pm
But not everyone can afford Sirius XM, What about those people?
May 28, 2014 @ 6:33 am
You ever price Sirius/XM? I bet you would find that it costs less than you think. I have XM in the house and one car. It costs me about a nickel a day.
May 27, 2014 @ 6:06 pm
I totally understand that if you have satellite or use some other alternative to radio, you might think all of this debate about the direction of traditional radio is strange, or even futile. The simple fact is that satellite still only represents a very small segment of music consumers compared to over-the-air radio. Radio still positively dominates the listening landscape, and moves like splitting the country format to service more country listeners are meant to keep people listening to radio and challenge the alternatives that are attempting to gain market share. Also as has been cited in numerous studies, satellite, just like Pandora and Spotify, don’t have the ability to cater programming locally, which puts them at a disadvantage.
I broached this subject more in-depth recently if you’re interested:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/new-study-proves-why-radio-still-matters
But we can’t just think about this as a radio issue. This goes MUCH deeper. If the country format splits, so does the flow of money and the support for the music. NASH Icons is planning to release albums, to underwrite tours, put on special events, release singles, and try to create fundamental support for artists that are no longer receiving it. Radio might be the centerpiece, but what we are talking about here is a reorganization of the entire country landscape like the format has never seen in its history.
June 1, 2014 @ 12:54 am
It’s already happening, I did a gig with all the old school opry greats, with no radio or any kind of PR. It was almost embarrassing , these Kats need. A check, built it from the ground up. Where I try to hide its already split up. I watched an awesome radio station, most if the country based their format off these guys, now it’s bubble gum, but what can you expect , it’s got a CEO a board and shareholders, somebody put the brakes and buying deal tv tv tv letterman and just pay off the djs like the ld days….lol
Oh yea forgot to Promote – Major label deals for sale, no talent required.
May 27, 2014 @ 6:54 pm
I have a legitimate question, because I don’t have satellite radio and don’t know the answer.
Do Willie’s Roadhouse and Prime Country play new releases from the artists in their respective rotations?
May 27, 2014 @ 8:54 pm
Willie’s Roadhouse does some, but I don’t listen to enough Prime Country to know. Outlaw Country covers new releases from artists on both stations though.
May 28, 2014 @ 6:07 am
I had Sirius years ago, and I don’t remember them pushing any new artists. In fact, I don’t think they even did a good enough job covering the catalogs of some of the big classic country artists to begin with. You can only hear Luckenbach Texas and Smoky Mountain Rain so many times in one day.
May 28, 2014 @ 9:29 am
I listen to Bluegrass Junction all the time. They have really good programming and play traditional and progressive bluegrass, usually all mixed togther. They have programs like TruGrass, where its nothing but tradiitonal, and programs like Newgrass where they showcase more of the progrssive styles. But usually its all mixed together. The track-by-track program showcases new albums from older and newer artists Kyle Cantrell also interviews them about themselves and their songs in between the tracks. 2 weeks ago they just aired Ralph Stanley and Ralph Stanley II’s new album.
I think Satellite radio is worth the money. I listen to the other country stations (except “The Highway”) too and think they have a good selection of music to offer as well.
BTW, Trigger, you need to have a listen to The Steeldrivers if you havn’t done so already. I think many of the readers on this site would enjoy them.
May 27, 2014 @ 5:47 pm
What about those beyond the 25 year mark, such a Waylon and Johnny cash, and Hank Sr, Patsy cline, Lefty, June carter cash, your leaving out a bunch of well respected artist that deserve just as much airplay as anyone else.
May 27, 2014 @ 5:56 pm
Well, according to Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Records, the likelihood is we’ll hear even less of these people on the radio, as underperforming “traditional” country stations will be integrated into the new 25-year “classic” country format. GARTH-FM was one of these stations that still played Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson before it was re-formatted. This scenario could play out in many locales all across the country. My guess is there will still be some “oldies” country holdouts, but they will be even fewer and farther between than they are right now.
May 27, 2014 @ 5:59 pm
Well, anyone still making music 25 years ago would be eligible.
May 27, 2014 @ 7:59 pm
So do you think the stuff that was released by Cash in the last 25 years will get airplay on these new classic stations? I don’t see why they couldn’t play songs from his new album. I hope they also put new “classic country sounding” artists like Sturgill on these stations too because I don’t see where else you could put these type of artists on the radio.
May 27, 2014 @ 5:57 pm
SiriusXM is actually gonna have a Y2Country format soon too. It’ll test on the highway this weekend.
As for this idea, I think it’ll also have other artists (like Craig Campbell) who’ll fit it better than the “Msinstream country pop” side.
May 27, 2014 @ 10:32 pm
Exactly what I want to see/hear on there. I wouldn’t mind having the more traditional Texas/Oklahoma Red Dirt scene get more of a shot if this happens as well.
With this split though is it still possible to have some crossover within the overall genre? For example I’m sure it would not be far fetched to hear a Miranda Lambert or Dierks Bentley ( or someone who fits both the new and old) to be apart. ( If this has been mentioned before I do apologize)
May 27, 2014 @ 11:47 pm
I think exactly how all of this will take shape is yet to be determined, and as contentious consumers and country music fans, we should let our voices be heard about what we want from a potential format split. Many of the radio stations that might participate could be locally or regionally owned, and be very connected to listener feedback. Ultimately, we are the consumers they’re looking to serve.
May 28, 2014 @ 7:32 am
In order for some longer-term viability and not jut ANOTHER “Oldies” format (albeit ‘newer’ in approach), they have to allow for some artists who fit in there. Plenty of older current artists (McGraw, Chesney, Rascal Flatts, etc.) definitely fit inside this format. It will never work with just “legend” names or one hit wonder songs. It has to include stuff that fits that same lane. If it’s just a modernized ‘classic’ play, it won’t work.
May 27, 2014 @ 6:06 pm
As is stated here in the article, I find it sad to think that great classic artists from either country rock or even traditional pop are starting to disappear from “oldies” stations. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that Garth Brooks is getting a platform, but to think that he is now being considered as classic isn’t that great of a thought. It makes you wonder who will be considered as classic in a decade or two.
That split from country music, if it happens, should allow the traditional artists (both old and new) to continue to make music and therefore allow the genre to continue being what it always has been. I do think however, that it’s important also to somehow bring back into the public somehow music that is even older than a 25 year old window, in order to start some sort of Renaissance or something.
It’s a shame the brand new Johnny Cash album didn’t get a song sent to radio.
May 27, 2014 @ 6:16 pm
It’s not perfect, but it’s a start.
May 27, 2014 @ 7:07 pm
F— the 25 year format. Make it a 50 year format: 1944 to 1994.
May 28, 2014 @ 1:46 am
That, my friend, would be perfect. That is exactly what needs to happen. The 25 year thing is a joke because Country Music died almost 20 years ago, so we’d only get about 5 years of good music: ’89-’94.
May 27, 2014 @ 7:18 pm
Everybody’s talking a good game right now about how new releases by the artists will get played, etc.
Trigger mentioned it in his previous article, but new releases by classic rock artists barely get a sniff of airplay on classic rock stations. You might hear the new song for a month or two if the band has the cache of a Black Sabbath, then it’s back to “Paranoid”. If an artist doesn’t have that kind of weight, then the new stuff will never see the airwaves.
As was also mentioned, Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue says they won’t release a new album in conjunction with their final tour for that very reason. There is nowhere it will get played.
I hope it doesn’t play out that way, but I’m not optimistic. I’ll be interested to see what happens. In the mean time, I’ll be digging into sites like this for my country and other sites for different genres. Radio, terrestrial and satellite, is of no use to me. But I’m not the norm.
May 27, 2014 @ 7:29 pm
Is it true that these “25 year artists” are being left out between the traditional stations and the mainstream ones?
As someone who lives in Southeastern PA we’ve only got the new stuff on the radio.
Not sure if this is a step forward or not. Sounds like we’re either going to see the older music or this “25 year” music being squeezed out.
May 27, 2014 @ 8:00 pm
I got two words for you: Scott Borchetta.
First off, Scott Borchetta is a label owner, not a radio executive, so he would only get involved in this if he thought he could sell records, and secure radio’s support in helping him do so.
Secondly, Scott Borchetta is one savvy son-of-a-bitch. He’s not going to get involved in anything that isn’t going to be successful, or at least something he doesn’t think will be successful for himself. In the interview posted earlier today that I quoted Borchetta from, he also said, “Another example is Lew Dickey. He has Wall St. watching his every move at Cumulus and is putting a lot of trust in the Big Machine Label group and showing us a huge amount of respect.”
Lew Dickey is considered a laughing stock by most on Wall St. That’s one of the main reasons I was surprised to hear that Scott Borchetta would have anything to do with him. There are MANY who believe that Lew is simply playing a shell game until is severance comes due and his golden parachute deploys amidst the implosion of Cumulus under mounds of debt. I’m not exactly sure how because I don’t know the specifics of the Big Machine/Cumulus deal, but my guess is Borchetta used the fact that Dickey is so vilified, and he’s seen right now as a boy genius, to his advantage. This deal isn’t just about a joint venture, it is about Lew Dickey and Cumulus latching on to some of Borchetta’s success.
I do think the new NASH Icons format will play new music from older artists, and we’ll see if its rivals follow suit. It must, because that’s the only reason Scott Borchetta would be involved.
May 27, 2014 @ 8:31 pm
I’m not denying that the intent is there. I’m just suspect that when it actually comes to fruition that it doesn’t fall into the same trap as classic rock. Especially with the stations that get into this that are not affiliated with the NASH conglomerate.
And I totally see your point with Borchetta being involved. But with Cumulus hemorrhaging money, they still have to go where the money is (read advertising dollars) and if people only want to hear the old stuff, that’s where it will end up.
Just playing a little devil’s advocate here. I don’t know enough about it, but do know what I’ve heard on the classic rock stations.
May 28, 2014 @ 7:45 am
Why wouldn’t they play the new music. It’s a format that’s being aimed by Cumulus as an AC type of station. a station that plays Currents but also is HEAVY on a 25 year range of stuff, sort of what Country USED to do.
May 27, 2014 @ 8:04 pm
This is great to hear. This is a good start and hopefully more steps are taken to get more radio time for traditional country music. The 25 year period is a pretty strategic move. While most of us would like to see Waylon, Cash and Haggard get radio time too, Cumulus and Clear Channel realize that there isn’t a ton of people clamoring for music this far back to get on the radio. It’s a much smaller group compared to the group of people wanting 90s country back on the radio. I just hope this leads to more independent artists getting radio time, but I don’t expect it to happen.
May 27, 2014 @ 9:16 pm
This is the new direction of the fight and I am ok with this. Being that I am only 23 and didnt become an “active” listener, really caring about what I was listening to and appreciating it until I was about 16 in 2006 all I can say is if Garth was the biggest thing right now like the 90s I would not really have an issue with top 40 country.
May 28, 2014 @ 12:03 am
Wow. We’re getting distracted by what’s on the surface, y’all. I see this as a much more sinister proposition than simply being a “new country format”.
In this observer’s opinion this in the DEATH KNELL for the genre going forward. Basically what they’re wanting to do is migrate all the “older” fans of country music to this new “classic” format so that they can do whatever the fuck they want on the “top 40 country” stations to attract teenagers. That means: more pop, more bro-country, more EDM & hip hop, more fucking RAP.
And while it *WOULD* make it much easier for me to find my preferred style of country music, as I see it, it’s more of the continued forced-blending of cultures/genres, spitting upon tradition, disrespecting of those whom real country music used to represent and appeal to. They are making a conscious effort to veer away from these “old fashioned” folks & lifestyles in favor of 15 year olds, urban dwellers & college drunks. I can cite a couple of articles Trigger has posted here that addressed all the hip-hop/rap artists that have been inserted into “country” songs and tours. (Try: https://savingcountrymusic.com/country-music-entering-a-new-remix-era or: https://savingcountrymusic.com/country-rap-becoming-mandatory-for-country-males and: https://savingcountrymusic.com/how-hip-hop-stole-country-music-the-arrival-of-the-mono-genre) I wonder why it is none of those hip-hop stars ever ask a country star to appear on any of their hip-hop songs… Anyway, I believe there’s a massive push to get anything “traditional” out of the way for good.
It’s the final destruction to the genre. To drive home the point, just think to the future: once this change is made, where will country be 10-15 years from now? Will this new “Classic” format (songs of the last 25 years) be pushed aside for what’s playing currently? Will country have then completely morphed from the current Paisley, Aldean & Florida Georgia Line to straight-up LL Cool J, Pitbull and Ludacris?? At that point, country is gone forever as a format. The rest of us will be listening to our heavy rotation of “old-fogey” repeats while the greatest genre on earth gets ransacked. I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that’s the whole plan.
Borchetta made his entire $200 million fortune doing that very thing: ignoring tradition and marketing to 15 year olds. If he’s signed on, you can bet that’s part of the greater plan. I don’t believe for one second this is happening because he’s excited about marketing Reba, Martina & Alan’s new music to a demographic they believe no longer buys music. In current-day Nashville, these artists are “has-beens” who no longer make money. It’s more about paving the way for the new style than resurrecting the old style.
Mark my words. This is a bad, bad sign.
May 28, 2014 @ 1:54 am
You’re right on the money P.T.
May 28, 2014 @ 8:38 am
What you’re saying isn’t wrong, but I’m going to play devil’s advocate here. No offense, but you’re naive if you think mainstream country music will ever sound country again. There’s not enough money in that kind of endeavor and that is all that matters on Music Row. It’s about what is popular and marketable.
You then say that hip hop artists never ask country artists to appear on their album. Well that is wrong. Tim McGraw appeared on a Nelly album after appearing on a McGraw song. Willie Nelson appeared on a Snoop Dogg album. Brad Paisley was on Jay-Z’s album after doing “Accidental Racist.” Florida Georgia Line also made an appearance on a Nelly album. While it’s not common for a country artist to appear on a hip hop album, it has happened.
My advice is not to listen to the radio to hear the music you want. I stopped listening to radio several months ago. I play the music I want through CDs and my phone. Radio is a dying format, which has also been brought up on this site several times. Music Row realizes they’re losing the part of the audience that frequents this site and are clamoring for traditional country, so this is sort of a last ditch effort to win us back. And you and others are obviously not impressed. If you want a chance at real change, don’t listen to the radio.
May 28, 2014 @ 9:31 am
Paco,
I know you may not be talking about me specifically, but trust me when I say, my eyes are WIDE open on this subject. I’ve already delved into how this proposed format split will very likely cannibalize many of the current “classic” country stations that play music beyond the 25 year window, and I can assure you my hampster wheel is spinning on this subject 24 hours a day to the point of where I’m losing sleep thinking about the eventual possibilities of all of this and am borderline obsessing about it. In my opinion, this may be the most important subject I’ve ever covered on Saving Country Music, and certainly the most important since the Billboard chart rule changes a few years ago. Fundamentally, we’re talking about a massive reorganization of country music that could have reverberations that could affect every artist and fan on a very fundamental level.
At the same time, we can’t just assume everything that happens is going to be bad. We have such a loser, poverty mindset in traditional and independent country from having lost so many battles over the years, that we immediately expect the worst from everything. In the end, as I have been saying for years, the hard research shows that popular country abandoning the classic country sound has been very detrimental to business. And as much as I personally detest the Country Music Antichrist Scott Borchetta, you can’t not recognize his savvyness. We’ve been saying for years that there’s a massive hunger for older country music, and pointing to research that backs up our claims, and finally business people are starting to recognize this.
“It”™s the final destruction to the genre. To drive home the point, just think to the future: once this change is made, where will country be 10-15 years from now? Will this new “Classic” format (songs of the last 25 years) be pushed aside for what”™s playing currently? Will country have then completely morphed from the current Paisley, Aldean & Florida Georgia Line to straight-up LL Cool J, Pitbull and Ludacris?? At that point, country is gone forever as a format.”
This is already happened. That ship has sailed. Right now there is virtually NOTHING being played on mainstream country radio that is older than maybe 3 or 4 years, and even that stuff is from current artists. The idea here is to give a home to the stuff that has been unnecessarily abandoned. Sure, there could be MANY devils in the details, and that is why it is imperative to pay attention to what is transpiring here, report on it, let our opinions be heard, and let the industry know we’re paying attention.
“It”™s more about paving the way for the new style than resurrecting the old style.”
I think this is a very real possibility, but I’m also not sure if that is completely a bad thing. Right now country radio is like a war zone, with two different generations and mindsets fighting for its control. I don’t know that this is good for anyone. Scott Borchetta might not give a shit about classic country music, but he does give a shit about money. And right now, the mainstream country music industry is losing money, verified irrefutably by research, by ignoring wide swaths of its core demographics. Scott Borchetta may be an asshole, but he’s not stupid. He wants that money that’s slipping through country’s fingers right now, and if it can create support and alternatives to Top 40 pop country radio, it may not be all bad, though we can also be assured it will likely not be perfect.
May 30, 2014 @ 9:36 am
Trig,
I fully agree with you that: “this may be the most important subject I”™ve ever covered on Saving Country Music.” I am also obsessing over it. And I’ll be the first to admit that I veer straight towards the negative on this story because of the scenario you so properly described: “We have such a loser, poverty mindset in traditional and independent country from having lost so many battles over the years…”
That said, I still don’t see this experiment ending well for the FUTURE of the genre. Yes, I’m fully aware that rap has already exceedingly taken hold of the country format (that’s why I expressly used the names of those who rappers who have already appeared on country tracks). But the point I failed to express clearly is: I feel the music has gone so far in that direction that it could soon be playing Pitbull or Ludacris WITHOUT them even being attached to a “country” artist. There’s that little difference in the styles now. And if country artists are going to try to OUT-RAP rap artists, the format’s done (not to mention, they’re going to lose that battle every time with rap fans.)
As a student of music & radio, a quick look at the history of format changes presents a bleak outlook. An appropriate comparison in my opinion– and the main reason I see this as a bad omen– is to look at what happened to the Adult Contemporary format in the 90s (AC, in radio terms). It went through the same sort of young/old separation. At the time, there was significant crossover between Top 40 & Adult Contemporary– where for example, you might find Wu-Tang Clan, Matchbox 20, Celine Dione and STP playing side-by-side on the same exact same station. But as the tinkering of the formats occurred, everything changed. In the mid 90s, Adult Contemporary was splintered into no less than 5 different formats: AC, Adult Top 40, Hot AC, Urban AC and Rhythmic AC. AC was split and became the place for more “mature” sounding styles, making “Top 40” the place for the young & fresh. See any similarities? Now, if you look at A/C today, it’s an absolute ghost town. Stale & boring. Even though many of the artists played on AC stations continue to produce new music, the new music DOES NOT get played. The stations stick to the old hits from the same artists. The quote that became famous in the music industry is: “AC stations are where pop songs go to die a very long death. Or, to optimists, to get a second life.”
So there’s that, for what it’s worth.
But with all that said, JC asked a question below that I had not considered and the two of you are onto something. This could very well be Lew Dickey’s grand gamble at saving his company and Garth Brooks could very well his savior. Since Borchetta is all-in on the Cumulus venture, he likely helped craft it. It could very well be that Borchetta has already signed Garth to his label (behind the scenes for announcement later) and is tying it all in with the Cumulus venture. It would be a win for all sides: Garth comes out on Borchetta’s label… he gets guaranteed spins on all Nash country stations, guaranteeing him a grand re-entrance… Cumulus gets a boost from the biggest recording artist in history making traditional style music on its newly flipped “classic” stations… it all works. It could absolutely be part of the strategery. Admittedly, it hadn’t even occurred to me. It is a very intriguing and likely possibility. After all, wifey-poo is with Big Machine (Yearwood), so all the access is there…
But I stand by this: the only way this new format will be a positive for the future of country music is if the new “classic” stations bring higher ratings than the current top 40 country stations. If the listenership for the old style stuff surges and diminishes for the new stuff, we will get some course-correction. We could very well win the battle. For THAT to happen, the new classic stations have to actually PLAY and PROMOTE new music from these older artists, not just spin the old stuff. The format must strive to be a fresh, real and viable force. If they don’t, the genre is in trouble.
May 30, 2014 @ 10:11 am
Paco,
You very well may have the right hunch about this. I think we’re so early into this process and there’s so many moving parts, it would be foolish to discount any scenario of how this all may end up. Right now what I am focusing on is just trying to accumulate all the information in one place so we can all make informed decisions and potentially know where we need to be as fans to help influence those decisions if possible. This is probably one of these stories people are going to get tired of seeing articles about here and will complain about, but that’s tough, because I think these are very important matters. And this think is developing incredibly quickly. Next week we’ll have the re-launching of “GARTH-FM” which may glean some more insight, and a BIG Alan Jackson press conference which will be about who knows what. And if at some point in this process I feel like anything that might result in the diminishment of older artists is afoot, I will be the first to speak up about it.
This probably deserves it’s own dedicated article, but specifically to Lew Dickey, I can’t stress enough how much this guy is vilified by Wall St. and investment types. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that all of this “NASH” business is simply just a bunch of smoke and mirrors to throw people off the scent that Cumulus is in a hole they will never be able to climb out of, billions in debt, and simply the interest on that debt eating up virtually all of the company’s revenue. He’s was already going out on a limb with “NASH” food, restaurants, furniture, and paint for crying out loud. Now he’s going to splinter the entire country music format? But in the end if the splintering happens, Clear Channel, and hundreds of smaller radio stations are going to have to participate.
It’s going to be a very interesting next few months.
May 28, 2014 @ 3:15 am
I’m not sure how this will be much better anyway. The last 25 years? That’s 1989-2013. That means we’ll still hear a lot of the same crap we’ve been complaining about. Including FGL, Bryan, Aldean, etc. They’re all included in “the last 25 years”.
May 28, 2014 @ 5:19 am
To think this split is happening to save the purity of the country genre would be naive on our part. There is a lot of money to be made off “classic country” & Borchetta & his boys want to get their hands on it. Pop & Rap integration into the genre is happening regardless.
All I can do is hope these “Classic Country” stations play good tunes.
May 28, 2014 @ 6:24 am
Anyone in the Pennsylvania-Maryland-DC area hear the station out of Frederick (99.9) on Monday? They’re normally your standard pop-country station, but they played nothing but classic country for 18 hours on Memorial Day.
I had about a three-hour round trip through the area, and I heard Hank Sr., Roger Miller, Charley Pride, Dolly, Cash, Merle, Willie, Strait, Jackson, and on up to Mark Chestnutt and Tracy Byrd (among others).
I never changed the station once, not even for commercials – because I had no idea what he would play next. I’d love for a station to have that kind of diversity on a regular basis.
May 28, 2014 @ 7:24 am
Maybe the Dallas Fort Worth Market is different to others but we have 2 mainstream stations 96.3 and 99.5 2 Texas red dirt stations The Ranch one of which also plays Americana 95.3 the range and one locally owned classic country station 92.1 Hank FM. The difference maybe that all the stations except the 2 mainstream stations are locally owned. These stations have all been around for 15 years plus some much longer. So it is possible in some markets to have lots of choice and all of them remain viable. It will be intersting to see how this evolves going foward.
May 28, 2014 @ 7:47 am
I hate modern country radio like the rest of you and I like the idea of a “classic” radio format, even if it is only going back 25 years.
My problem is that I’ve never trusted Dickey or Borchetta to make decisions to benefit my interests. I doubt this will be a first. Not with these two guys heading it up together.
May 28, 2014 @ 8:58 am
The best that we can hope for is for Cumulus to continue to lose money, which means, Borchetta will lose money too.
May 28, 2014 @ 11:07 am
Think that you’re already seeing this happen in some markets. The top-rated station in the two of the larger markets here in Arkansas (Little Rock, Fort Smith) are classic country stations that already have playlists that are very heavy on 80’s & 90’s country with liberal doses of Waylon, Willie, and Merle.
If I have to listen to regular radio, this isn’t a bad option at all. However, I hope that if this format spreads that it finds room for Sturgill Simpsons of the world that still play “real” country music.
May 28, 2014 @ 11:22 am
Does anyone else think it’s not merely a coincidence that this is happening during the lead up to Garth’s big comeback. The doubting Thomas in me thinks that maybe Scott Borchetta and the rest of Music Row are afraid that Garth is going to stir up the traditional fans even more and create a bigger counter revolution to their bro crap that actually finds footing in the mainstream world. Garth is one of the few artists who could legitimately shake things up for them, and I feel like this is their way to curb the effect and get garth and his fans on a separate dial.
May 28, 2014 @ 12:39 pm
I think Garth Brooks and his comeback is the massive centerpiece to this entire NASH Icons/new radio format platter. Sure, other artists are factors too, but he is the big fish and I have little doubt that behind-the-scenes, there is intimate involvement between the Garth camp and the rest of the moving parts. If Scott Borchetta signs Garth Brooks to Big Machine, it will be the biggest signing since Taylor Swift. In October of 2013, I wrote an article about how the return of Garth could have a “colossal” impact. Now I’m wondering if that was too understated.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/the-return-of-garth-brooks-could-have-a-colossal-impact
Garth’s involvement I think will be the next significant development in this story.
May 29, 2014 @ 3:00 pm
I see this as a good thing, and long overdue.
In my small market city, we’ve had this split going on the radio for I don’t know, maybe 10 years.
May 29, 2014 @ 5:15 pm
I just curious at what point does top 40 become “classic” since the turnover of acts and song seems to greater in recent years how long before the classic country station starts playing Luke Bryan and Taylor Swift. And really Martina, Trisha, Patty and her crew are THAT OLD…
As for me personally I like it all from 40s up to about 95-96 right before Shania Twain hit it big and could listen to station the threw me Ernest Tubb and Rose Lee Maphis right alongside some Kathy Mattea and Barbara Mandrell and Alan Jackson. Thank god I have my own music device to do it on.
May 29, 2014 @ 6:08 pm
It may mean just as much a sound as it does a timeline. If the point of separating into two formats is to not disenfranchise “classic” listeners by playing Taylor Swift or Florida Georgia Line, there’s going to be resistance to add those artists even when they do become older and start to fit into the “classic” window. For example, a band like The Black Crowes came around much later than most classic rock bands, but they’ve been played on that format for years because their sound is so similar, while Metallica which existed before The Black Crowes mostly won’t be heard on classic rock, but on the heavy metal station.
May 30, 2014 @ 5:19 am
It seems to me that there are the artists who write and play good country music (which honors a tradition and a culture) and then there is the music industry who are concerned about the spending habits of a certain demographic. And the suits could care less about say, Lefty Frizzell’s influence on Merle Haggard or Johnny Cash’s love
of Appalachian ballads. They figure that “country music” is what they say it is, and if they say it is hip-hop or clod-hop or “new country”, well they’ve got the hammer and they call the shots. But there is still a huge audience for the good stuff, and that audience (us) can find it under the radar or online or on old vinyl or at an Americana festival. It there and we should support it wherever we hear it, and God knows anybody with a functioning ear can hear the difference.
And when a market isn’t being serviced, entrepreneurs will find a way to service it. And the market that loves good country music isn’t being serviced.
I think the split shouldn’t have anything to do with “25 years” or “50” years or some arbitrary measurement. It should be between “real country” and “snot country”, as in
“That’s not country” which sounds like “That’s snot country,” which indeed it is….
June 1, 2014 @ 9:09 am
Speculation on the Nashville, Tennessee radio market:
Nashville currently has three pop country stations, two of which are owned by Cumulus:
WKDF is branded as “Nash FM.”
WSM-FM used to be the sister station of the famous WSM-AM, and was owned by Gaylord Broadcasting for years, but it was bought by Cumulus outright in 2008. It is currently in third place among country stations, and as far as I know, it is basically redundant, not having much of an identity other than the fact the station plays a few songs from the 90’s and 00’s mixed in with the current hits.
It’s not hard to predict that Cumulus will ultimately try to position WSM-FM as the Nashville market’s “Nash Icon” station.
I just wonder what will become of WSM-AM (still owned by Gaylord) if Cumulus starts a new “classic country” station on the FM dial. It could potentially siphon away a big chunk of their listeners. That would be a shame, because WSM-AM is a unique station that is really doing things right in a lot of ways.
Should country radio split into two formats? | Hard Times No More
June 2, 2014 @ 6:28 pm
[…] According to Trigger over at Saving Country Music – perhaps the best blog in this space – “The Split of Top 40 Country & Classic Country Is Upon Us.” […]