This video isn't meant to dance on the grave of any of these releases. Like I said, albums can become hits over time. But I wanted to make this video because I feel like we are watching a MAJOR shift in consumer behavior in 2023. Obviously, the country music industry has been gradually changing in the social media/streaming age, but it feels like it changed in warp speed this year.
The thing is, most modern country songs could be written completely by AI and nobody would notice the difference. Everything and most current artists sound the same.
@@WolframeHDX I have heard about artists already relying on AI for some lyrics of songs...while it seems that AI will be coming for the jobs of songwriters, I think as long as writers do what Grady said (connect with the public in a big way), then their albums will be successful. For most artists, it is hard to maintain the public's excitement as your career advances and your library grows. I bet the public has liked songs that have been partially written by AI; interesting to see how accurate AI can get to connect with the public.
I think the style of country perferred by the public is changing and a majority of the radio stars aren't measuring in depth or width to the standard. I also wonder if because there are so many artists and releases now, country listeners are drifting back to the "old days" of only following a handful of artists because it's more digestible.
I feel like it may shift even more to the point of artists just covering each others songs (Luke and Morgan covering each others stuff, Eric Church just released a cover of "The weight" by The band, Tennessee whiskey, the Joe Diffie stuff from Hardy (though that's more of a tribute)) covers can be good when done well, but I feel like it may be an easier cop out than to write there own stuff knowing people gravitate to that more!
@@RookieRatcliff There's a legitimate argument to be made that more covers are good for the genre because they bring a new audience to the original artist's music. I read an blog post that argues cover songs have been decreasing over the past decade or so from country radio.
Like Grady mentioned, there is so much music being released by so many artists. If it is not one of the handful of artists or bands I truly love, I’m not checking out the whole album. I’ll definitely listen to individual songs by whatever artist that might be, but that’s about it
Country labels here in Nashville are 5-7 years behind the trends in marketing, social media, etc.. They’ve been doing mostly the same thing for over 20 years and are extremely resistant to change. I worked at one of the bigger ones for 5 years and every single album / single release was exactly the same. Even the photos and PR campaigns were so similar it was hard to distinguish which act was which. It’s truly a machine. LOL.
The hip hop scene, labels are dropping rap acts in favor of afrobeat artists. I listen to modern blues (which is more of a fusion genre now) acts and album sales are about 1% of total album sales even though they provide everything that people want in modern music (one writer songs, people playing traditional instruments, no sampling, good singers, good lyrics and guitar solos).
Yeah people just don’t tend to listen to albums anymore, they listen once or twice pick out the songs they like and never listen to the album again besides the songs they picked out for a playlist
Exactly what I said. If I were an artist, I would promote myself any which way I could, & as much as I could. That way, if I didn't make a big splash, I could say that I really did try. It doesn't work the other way around.
As a person who watches every video on this channel, I like when Grady mixes it up and gives us a video like this. The video is definitely not a flop, at least to the loyal supporters
Channels like yours and various websites have helped to increase awareness for an increasing number of artists, which is awesome for exposure to different styles of the genre. At some point, maybe there is a burnout from the viewers after hearing hundreds of different albums to the point where they start picking artists they really like and supporting them while leaving others aside (not for any ill will, but for musical brain space).
If I wasn’t such a big brothers Osborne fan I probably would have knows they released an album. I absolutely love Darius Rucker and saw him in concert tho summer and didn’t realize that his album existed. I’m a marketing major and have taken social media marketing classes so I find these videos super interesting. Very informative video
I never want to get to a point where artists release singles & not albums. It's the best way to get to know an artist more, tell a story, and let it become a chapter/sountrack to your life at the time. There's nothing better than listening to a new album by one of your favourite artists for the first time!
I think this is a change in music as a whole. The most popular artists, the artists at the very top of the industry across all genres seem to be reaching new heights, with massive releases coming from someone like Morgan wallen this year, meanwhile the artists who have had very successful careers, but haven’t quite been a top 5 artist of their genre seem to be met with poor sales and poor reception on any new release. In country it’s the guys like Morgan wallen and the Luke combs vs any of the artists mentioned in this video. In a genre like hip hop it’s the guys like drake and Travis Scott vs guys like trippie redd, lil tjay, even the meek mill and Rick Ross collab album was pretty much a flop and these are all artists who’ve had massive releases in the past 5 years just to see their most recent releases show a steep downwards trajectory that doesn’t seem to effect the top artists of rap. People have been saying rap is falling in popularity in the same way this video mentions the poor sales of recent country releases. I think the real issue is music as a whole is losing popularity right now. People are just getting burned out when it comes to music. streaming platforms like Spotify have made music so accessible for people that they’ve become over saturated with music, with so many artists gaining traction and blowing up on these platforms and such a large selection of music at your fingertips it’s only a matter of time before you just get burned out with trying to follow such a massive industry which is growing at such a quick rate. The side effect of this music burnout is the exact reason we’re seeing continued success from the top 5 artists in a given genre because they’re known and are able to maintain that, meanwhile everyone else gradually fades in popularity as people stop paying attention to music and only pay attention to whats popular. This burnout wasn’t as apparent with cds because with that format music was less accessible and it made songs you’ve never heard before seem special. With Spotify and Apple Music, it’s just an endless sea of material and once you get tired of searching through it you end up just turning on whatever song is at the very top of the page, and there we have the downfall in popularity of middle ground artists, the ones who aren’t quite at the top of the page.
What an amazing take. I tend to agree. I've been saying this for a few years now, there's just too many new musicians now and I can't keep up. I once listened and kept up with rap. Now I hate the genre at least the new artists, and I don't even know any of the new artists. I'm a die hard bleeding heart country music fan, it's my life, but It has become such a love hate relationship. I hate all the new pop stuff slthoufhr it's super catchy, like Morgan wallen, for example. Can't stand the guy or his music although he does truly make some super catchy songs. And you can't drive 5 minutes without hearing his song somewhere. So it's like you're exposed to some more than others and they stick around. I don't willfully listen to his music, but I know his songs somehow. I've had faith recently as there's been a resurgence in country music with independent artists and a lot more traditional stuff still being released, just not on the radio and mainstream format because the radio companies don't want to play that stuff. I'm heart broken because country music is literally my life I just can't seem to find it anymore .
Acoustic music seems to be getting more popular. So are indie type genres (like shoegaze). Says something about burnout with the overproduced plastic of the last decade
"Standing Room Only" is the first really good single I've liked from Tim in a while, probably since "Humble and Kind" in 2015-16, and even though it wasn't released to radio, I also liked his cover of The Cars' "Drive" (my favorite song of theirs) in 2019.
To be honest, if it doesn't give me a notification on Spotify of a new release, I wait for your album reviews. Hearing you talk about new releases from artists I like remind me to check their stuff. Just in this video, I'll be checking Jake Owen and Kip Moore. There is a lot to be said for finding a community and a voice (like you) that feels like "one of us", a fan of the genre with good taste and who has the time and energy to follow what is coming out and give honest feedback on it.
I never comment on videos but this was so interesting! as a marketing major considering working in the industry, it was great to hear your perspective on some of the recent trends. I’d love to see more videos like this
I think with the rise of streaming it’s really hard to keep track of new releases unless you follow that artist specifically on social media… there’s been so many times I find out about an album a month or two after it’s been released
There is also something to be said about the artists that put a limit on themselves and their albums. Sturgill only released 5 albums, and called it quits when it came to releasing new albums. Now he occasionally shows up as a guest artist with someone else or he pops up in a movie or TV show, sometimes doing music for whatever he's in. Tyler Childers has been releasing albums with one less song on each one, claiming when he reaches 1, he will release the one song and go spend time with his family. The complete opposite would be Charley Crockett who at one time seemed to release multiple albums a year. We're definitely in a time of big changes, and I'm curious to see how things change in the following years.
PR strategies should focus on reactions from everyday folks and channels on youtube, tiktok, and twitter. Don't even have to pay, just take away the blocks, and strikes and do rev share instead of claims. 90% of the revshare goes to an artist but you've got channels like NoLifeShaq, Alex Hefner and so many others that react to music that helps introduce people to new crowds while also giving their take. Nobody reads reviews anyone in print or online but you've got folks like Jelly Roll, Electric Callboy, Kid Laroi, and a ton of artists who got mainstream audiences that were being looked at by reactors before they were signed to major labels. There's other digital routes they could do as well but giving a concentrated group of reactors and influencers access to songs before their dropped so when it's dropped, reviews are up, they would cut their marketing budget by a ton.
I, in fact, did not know that these artists released anything. It does feel weird these days when albums and artists are sweeping the CMA awards and I’ve never heard of them. Country music advertising is not reaching young fans. The only way I know country albums dropped are from Spotify or Grady telling me
That is happening with every genre. Every listener is a hipster now. I believe afro beats is the only growing genre this year and even labels are dropping or not signing hip hop acts in favor of afro beats.
I think Spotify algorithms and curated playlists might also be a contributing factor - it just easier to play the same songs over and over again or put on one of the “daily mix” playlists in the background while I’m working. Discovering new music I actually like is hard and time consuming - I wonder if this is also true across the board or if it’s just specific to country albums
I love Jade Eagleson's album! It does require a lot of work to keep up with new albums and new releases in general -- all the more difficult because we have singles, EP's, and LP's coming at a rapid pace. Hardly anyone takes a break. We have singles, then an EP, then an LP, and repeat ad nauseum. Almost everyone is releasing something at all times, so LP's get lost in the cycle.
Yeah I've only gotten into newer country recently. Listening-wise it's just the big ones you mentioned, and aside from that like Kacey Musgraves who I have always liked Christmas music is gobbling up all the oxygen as it usually does this time of year, so it'll be interesting to see how this shakes out. I'd also be willing to bet country numbers are up way more in the summer
I don't know if this one will do as well as some, but I love videos like this one! Discussions of marketing, promo tactics, etc. are fascinating to me! P.S... yeah I had no idea most of those artists released new albums. I don't personally listen to a lot of them, but I still usually at least hear about them when they do.
Or some of the “radio hit artists”- the artists who have been around awhile and get played on the radio lots, but only manage to get one or two really big hits and aren’t really anyone’s #1 artist
I wonder if there’s any merit to the thought that a lot of these artists that are struggling have a more aging fan base. One that’s not as online, and pretty much picks the songs they like and just roll with those. Think about how many dads when we were growing up just listened to the music from when they were young. It’s gotta be hard to sell music that parents listen to- to their children.
Grady you are so thoughtful and intelligent. Way more so than most in the music industry. It's a pleasure to watch your videos. Hopefully some of the music biz dum dums will watch you and learn a thing or two.
Definitely an interesting trend (I’m commenting before I finish watching the video). I wonder if this is due to some artists, such as Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, etc. simply being so huge now that they’re overcrowding the country music space. It’s evolved to a point where it’s not like at any point you could have twenty male and twenty female singers all performing well on the charts (case in point, the early to mid-nineties). [Edit after watching] I also think we’re back into a phase where singles simply matter far more than full albums. Look how easy it is for country artists to cross over into the Top 40 now, whereas even some of those artists with crossover hits will barely sell any albums.
I’m a huge Ashley fan, therefore I know every speck of music she is part of. She continues to be working everywhere, but I think that’s because of her work to stay in the loop with country fans and the respect other singers have for her. Unfortunately, she isn’t getting as much airplay as I’d like to see (def not my fault 😂.) Quite honestly, the industry finds favorites and pushes them, hard. Also, if you follow an artist closely they often release nearly every track ahead of the album release, so you get few surprises.
Brenda Lee is the 5th country artist to hit number 1 on the Hot 100 all Genre charts with Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree to pile it on the country rules this year. Oliver Anthony also had a lot of songs that was streaming good when he first showed up. I don't think it is that. But, I think people are tired of the Nashville's take on country, and we are seeing the likes of Zach Brown, Oliver Anthony and Brenda Lee all traditional and classic country songs are in.
I think streaming has shifted the focus from new music to past catalogue. People were always listening to artist's older music, but there was not a way to track by how much after purchase before streaming. If streaming services could split charts between new and previous releases, it might let newer artists and music have a chance against established catalogues.
Used music doesn't count as a sale along with non tracked albums from independents. That grey area might be larger than we think. 1/3 of my CDs are used or new old stock that was written off.
Definitely agree that its really hard to find new albums of artist I love. My wife and I were just saying that we miss those albums from like 2009-2015ish (yes some bro country) but also some really really good stuff that I still listen to today and I just dont get that excited like I use to unless its Morgan or Luke dropping something
Late to the party and the video, so this point has likely been raised - The streaming algorithms are too slow to update mixes and playlists unless you're going directly to the artist's new album a lot. I had to listen to Wyatt Flores' new EP for 2-3 weeks rather frequently for it to show up in my Spotify playlists over or along with his previous songs and he only has 17 songs on Spotify. Artists with much larger discographies are a much longer process. For example, songs from Whiskey Myers' Tornillo (July 2022) rarely show up in my daily mixes and playlists, but Broken Window Serenade and Bury My Bones are in virtually all of them. Given that relatively few people buy albums anymore and it's going to largely be about stream units, the labels and managers should find ways to influence Spotify and the others to either adapt quicker or prioritize newer tracks in the discography. Maybe they do, but they need to do it to a higher degree. There's also another discussion to be had about cycling in more deep cuts from artists you like rather than just the biggest streamers (including less popular songs from new albums).
2 things: 1. Social media and streaming have definitely ruined people’s attention spans, so the way we consume information is warped compared to years past. I also think there’s a bit of information overload that happens, so we end up just doing nothing most of the time and listening to what we know and love. 2. I’ve noticed artists are starting to put out over half an album before the album releases. Idk why or when this trend started, but it takes the excitement away for me. Examples I can think of recently: Midland, Randall King. 12 song albums, but put out 7 singles. That is WILD. Just deflating when release day comes and it’s like… meh. Idk what needs to change, but it’s kinda sad. Great video, Grady!
I think ... and truly, I HOPE, that this is the consumer saying to the people behind the scenes in country radio, enough of this pop/bro/whatever, AWFUL "country" music that is played on radio, that ultimately says NOTHING and that just generally all around sucks. I truly LOATHE getting in the car and listening to what passes as country radio these days. If I'm driving any considerable distance, I'm on Spotify, but for short trips around town, I'm lazy and leave on the radio and let me tell you, what is played is some truly awful music. And I would agree, the country genre is saturated right now. I was just thinking the other day, there's just too much (as I listened to Wyatt Flores and thought to myself, "Why haven't I heard this before??"). And I think you're right ... social media, VISUAL media, engaging visual media, resonated with younger people. This whole TikTok thing is kinda fascinating, even if I HATE the way it has cratered peoples' attention spans. Mostly, I just hope this means we're going to see the continuing release of music that actually matters, and isn't just word soup to tick the boxes for a "country" song.
Concerts are just so much more important. I saw Ashley McBryde in September 2022 and she played five of her 11 songs on her September 2023 Devil I Know album. That didn't include Kitchen or Women Ain't Whiskey which were out for six months before the release. For real Ashley fans, the Devil I Know is more a greatest hits package than new release. Gone are the days where you here one song early and then buy the album to hear the rest.
The DVD Beth Hart: Live At The Paradiso made her music industry famous. That DVD came out in 2004 and she first went public in 1993 after winning on Star Search. It became one of those things were every year since she became even more famous around the world especially with recordings of her live performances. Kasey Chambers blew up with a live cover of Lose Yourself she did at one of her shows. always put on a good performance because you don't know who is watching.
I live in Phoenix and can tell you that the radio stations play Morgan, Luke and Jelly all the time. Although I like them, the radio is not playing a ton of artists in my opinion.
Grady has mentioned this before, the billboard country charts are historically very static. #1s stay for a long time. While pop charts have lots of movement. The current pop #1 has been there 2 weeks. The previous #1 was there for 1 week. The previous #1 from that (Taylor Swift) was there for 10 weeks (I think). Morgan Wallen has had a #1 roughly half the year
I think the days of albums are very quickly coming to an end. Likely within the next 5 years. Kinda sucks for Mcgraw as Standing Room Only is his best overall album in a while
A very interesting video, Grady. And I can only agree with many of your points. I've been listening to country music for over 40 years and I'm actually still someone who buys albums. Both digitally and on CD or even better on vinyl. As I live in Germany, country radio has never been relevant for me as it doesn't exist here. All the marketing activities also pass me by. Nevertheless, I have always found all the new albums through research. Recently, however, I have realised that this is no longer the case. And I also have to say that the streaming offer is now so comprehensive and overwhelming that you can no longer keep up with it. I've always liked the country ladies and have always been interested in new artists. However, when I look at the list of "new" and really talented female artists now (Karley Scott Collins, Catie Offerman, Lauren Watkins, Sophia Scott, Erin Kinsey, Megan Moroney, Ashley Cooke, Mackenzie Carpenter, Jenna Paulette, Emily Ann Roberts, Carter Faith, Ella Langley, Maggie Baugh and many, many more), you can hardly spare the time - and I really listen to a lot of music - to do justice to all the artists. So it inevitably boils down to focussing on a few artists that you really like, and at most only touching on all the others in playlists
I just have to say I was so excited to hear you say positive things about Old Dominion! I mean, it really wasn't about their music but it was nice to have you recognize that they're big in country music. I realize this doesn't mean you like them any more than you did before, just give me my win. HA!
Your videos are how I base my perception of how country music is doing. Also, a lot of my new music comes from your videos and how you highlight new artists I’ve never heard of before. Love your videos and thank you for all that you’re doing!
Totally agree with your point in that album sales are now all driven by social media. To paraphrase ‘If your music isn’t on TikTok you don’t exist”. It’s sad because my extent of social media is casual Instagram and UA-cam but nobody is caring about the album anymore. I think also social media lends itself more to the concept that listens are driven much more by the artist than the music than ever before. No way Dolly gets that many streams because of her music but the brand that she’s created does. More than ever you need to have a brand or establish yourself as part of a particular group of listeners. I think that’s why so many of the albums are flopping is because these artist never established themselves and their brand with a specific group, so they’re music sits in no man’s land.
Idk I was die hard country and knew everything down to the songwriters of every song from 2003-2012 but I guess I just got old. I don’t even know who any of these people are
Do you think this is an issue across multiple formats? I wasn't too much into 80's country when I did most of my album buying, but even four decades on, I still remember not just my favorite albums from that period, but the whole life cycle of each one. If you hit the sweet spot where MTV Premiere/The First Single/The Tour all timed perfectly, you could have a Purple Rain/Like a Virgin/Reckless. I get it, tastes change, formats change, but I can't seem to connect with the way artists are launched nowadays. Social Media forces performers to be in your face 24/7/365. It must get very exhausting for many of them. I suppose it's more egalitarian and DIY, but I miss the mystery even the mega-platinum 80's and maybe 90's stars seemed to have.
Bro there's just too much music to listen to now. I'm still going back and hearing albums I haven't heard from artists I already like, let alone searching out new ones.
Thank you for putting this together. The math doesn’t add up when the most played radio artists have the most passive fan bases. Buzzing indie artists constantly get passed up on the biggest opportunities only because the labels don’t want to give up control to treat artists fairly (until the social media blow up occurs). The public is more than capable of recognizing dispassionate music and the fan reactions show that. We never wanted to have to stand up for ourselves as artists but we’ve been given no option. The art and the artist now have to speak for themselves. You challenged the wrong crowd if you think artists are afraid to do things themselves - that’s how we all started. #MakeMusicGreatAgain 🤘🏻
Great video! You need to listen to Chase Rice on Cam Hanes podcast. Not a fan of Chase but he talks about how he chased the radio hits/ didn’t stay true to himself and regrets it. He talks about having that realization at a Zach Bryan concert. Interesting to see his perspective looking back. I think that’s what’s wrong with a lot of country music now it’s not authentic and the authentic artist are blowing up while the rest fall back.
I think look at the artists that have a similar thread (especially Wallen, Combs, Bryan, Jelly Roll and Hardy) I think you can look at those and see kind of why. All with relatable (Morgan is poppy af but...... Relatable) authentic sounding music with soul. A lot of country feels so sterile and manufactured. With the insanity of the world and everything feeling social media fake, authenticity I think is being looked for.
That has always been the case. I remember the all hat no cattle days of the 1980s when rock tones were put into country music and "revived" country music. Bro country is rap party lyrics with traditional instruments.
Carrie's passion on social media is posting about her garden and vegetable growth. I don't think she wants to play the social media marketing game in selling her albums. We now have music available wherever we are, whenever we want it, whoever we want to listen to, and then we have all the other artists that we didn't know about making their way in via playlists. 10 years ago (at least in the UK), I would listen to album from specific people that I liked... and when they released more, it was a big moment because finally I had new music to listen to. Now the time between my favourite artist releasing albums is taken up with different music, different artists, different collabs... but there is a saturation point where there's too much available for me to comprehend and I've listened to so much new music, that my favourite artist's new album gets swept up in that. Often I like listening to albums I listened to 15 years ago because it was at the time I listened to albums as a whole project, where I know which song is going to come on afterwards, it's comfortable. I'll put it on at track 1 and let it run through the album as nature intended! Don't get me wrong, I love that there is so much country music available and I've listened to more artists than ever. 15 years ago, I would listen primarily to 5 artists (Lady A, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw), and according to my Apple Replay this year, I listened to 478 artists... but to go from ~5 to ~500 is nuts. We're at saturation point.
Fans are fatigued by quantity over quality. If you're a country music artist, you aren't competing with who is on the radio. You're competing to make something worth listening to against an 80+ year back catalog and growing. Why listen to someone from 2024 when I can listen to 1990's George Strait or 1950's Willie Nelson or 1970's Dolly Parton or 2010 Miranda Lambert? We can also notice when an artist creates something meaningful (story driven) and takes the time to connect with their fans. (Turnpike Troubadours, Tyler Childers, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson). When Chris Stapleton performed an early version of Broken Halos on a nationally televised Nashville benefit show the fans noticed. When Vince Gill choked at George Jones memorial service, and Patty Loveless covered for him in their duet, the fans noticed. We notice the seemingly small things, and, sometimes it takes more effort than having something catchy lyric for a country radio single.
I feel like there are just too many artists to try and follow on a regular basis rn, it’s literally what happened to hip hop, hip hop became super popular, a ton of rappers came out, and everything got watered down and hard to keep up with, country’s popularity is hurting artist’s abilities to make a huge impact, but it’s allowing more artists to make smaller careers
I think there has been a heavy shift in the country genre. Lookin' at the Greenville Music Fest and it appears last years festival line-up was much more popular that this years line up. There seems to be more buzz for the Z Bryans and 49 Winchesters of the world than the traditional radio country that has been pushed down our throat for so many years. It seems more people are enjoying the great story telling of a guy like Charles Wesley Godwin. Minus people liking Morgan and Luke traditional country radio in the upstate of SC seems like a pop station. I personally hardly even cut my radio in the car on anymore. Just my thoughts...
I legitimately don’t know if an album releases until months later when I watch you analytical video. In years past all you heard about was when big name artists were dropping their album. I kinda wonder if the problem is more so that for the past 3-4 albums these musicians have been chasing the public trends. So people that listened to their first couple albums loved the sound, then listened to the more processed albums that tend to happen with more label involvement. And now, no one even cares if they release anything because it’s the same inorganic 4 chords that their past several label driven albums have produced. Thus, no internet buzz. But yes, I don’t even see articles, radio ads, IHeart ads, nothing.
I think Country lost quite a few fans in its minivan & squat truck music decade. It all just felt so overproduced. I feel they're starting to correct it, but it's gonna be a climb. And I think streaming services will mostly kill albums, unless the industry prevents it. Why "waste" money producing a whole album when you can just sell the whole thing as singles. I'm just thankful for your channel in particular. It's how I found Hardy, Tyler Childers, & many others.
One also has to define country music since there has been so much fusion added since the 1960s. Just look at 1940s and 1950s country music which was done with acoustic guitars and harmony vocals only.
Does the season have anything to do with this? I live in the Midwest and I find that I listen to way less country in the winter… I’m just not feeling it in the same way… just a theory
There's no monoculture anymore. Also, country music has drifted so far that nobody really wants to listen to it anymore. Hip-hop and country don't mix.
Country music always had a formula with the art of the music video, I would see a video back in the day that would introduce me to an artist. Because they have never been good at promoting new artists or even the mid level artist. Which sucks because sometimes I like listening to new people to experience a new sound, a new melody, something. Now its make something on social media or you are nothing. Which honesty I hate. Great content as always Grady.
Country fans were the last stronghold to profitable CD sales and they came later to streaming music. Unfortunately for new and older artists releasing new music, getting their new releases heard will continue to be a challenge. Grady is right that the old marketing ways aren't working. They will need a social media strategy that continues to create new buzz for them.
@codyjohnson is almost all I listen to these days in country, yes there are a lot of options out there, lke you said Id rather stick with what I like thanks to streaming services.... Old Luke Combs etc............. maybe country listeners are getting burnt out with the pop crap..... sure hope so.
Honestly Ik this is gonna get hate if anyone reads it but I feel like these artist who have all these old albums still taking over the charts is hurting the music more than it is helping. Half the people I know who listen to Morgan Wallen don’t like country music they just like Morgan Wallen. I feel a bit hypocritical for this considering I’m a similar position with metal. I don’t like metal but I listen to a bit of Metallica. While I’m not trying to spread on necessary hate to any artist, I just feel like most country fans like myself don’t want last night thinking about me and you proof to be the songs that represent the genre we love.
I've listened to some of those albums and some of those I didn't know existed. But out of the albums that just came out recently the one I am loving is Alexandra Kay's debut album. It's so good and definitely worth checking out.
I listened last week for the first time and was WAY impressed. As pop-country albums go, it's smart, painful, and all around good. I maaaaaaaaay have shoehorned it into my Honorable Mentions for year-end (b/c I had literally only listened to it like 2 days before filming that.)
As a fan of albums and a fan of a well planned live show set list, I struggle with the balance for bigger artists with long discographies. Artists I love, I want to hear the new stuff live but when I’m a casual fan, I typically want to hear the older stuff more. I think it’s difficult to find a middle ground without specifically touring an album.
So wise as always Grady! I really wanna see more artists being EXCITED about their album releases because if they can’t get hyped about their own album dropping, then like bro, why on earth should we??
I agree. The band Sabaton I listen to did a live listening session, snipits of the album were released in december as well as announcing specialty merch to accompany the album.
There needs to be some sort of playlist on Spotify that shows all of the new albums released that week. Sometimes an album comes out and I don’t realize until a few weeks later that it came out
"Country" music on the trad radio don't tell stories. It's basically pop music with a twang. Hell, Garth Brooks of the 90s couldn't hit the top of the charts today if he wanted to.
As a music fan, I feel overwhelmed with all the new stuff so I just kinda retreat and listen to the songs I know and enjoy listening to. So I’m not really listening to new music even though I want. It’s almost like I’m scared to be disappointed. 😔
I find searching for new music very overwhelming now because there's so much stuff, and I'm very picky. I don't like most things coming out these days, so it's very discouraging to try to listen to even old favorites. Yeah, I loved Tim McGraw in 2004, but I have a sinking feeling that I wouldn't like his new album, even if I had heard it was coming out (I hadn't but I'm extraordinarily unplugged). So I don't look for new music much anymore. If I do, it's a whole project, and it's pretty exhausting and disappointing. So when I do go on that venture, I usually head back to the 2000s, when music more often had a sound that I resonate with than music now (I'm very picky with production). And it's a bummer that that means I'm not supporting anything new, but hey, I don't like what's new. And when I try to force myself, because people /say/ that such and such thing is good, I find myself disappointed that I wasted so much of my time, next time I listen to music that I really do love. The difference is stark. Occasionally I can make myself like something more than I did upon first listen, but not often. So yeah, idk, maybe other people are overwhelmed, maybe the people who were once the demographic for this stuff have become nostalgic and listen more to old stuff like myself. I'm only 27 and I've already become the "music from my youth is the best" person. ugh
I think some of the artist that were huge like 10 years ago aren’t putting out albums that get tons of recognition because that style of country seems to be fading and artists like Zach Bryan are bringing back older sounding country music. Also awesome video Grady!
I listened to Ashley Cooke’s album but almost like unaware of doing so as it just kept coming up on my shuffle. I love Kylie Morgan’s album - and the best country album of 2023 for me is Alexandra Kay’s ❤
I think the era of albums are over. With the majority of music being listened to on a streaming service nowadays, how often do you put on an actual album, outside of the first listen? Compared to searching for a song specifically, or you put on a user created playlist that is just a single song from hundreds of different artists, Or hell, even a playlist of a single artist of multiple albums. I am a massive fan of Luke Combs, but I have cherry picked the best songs from Getting Old into a playlist, I dont put that on that specfic album.
Some of these songs pushed by record labels for radio play get played way too often. Just like jelly roll. It’s like every 30min they play his first or second single. After about a week you get so sick of hearing it and hear it so often there’s no need to buy the song on a streaming platform.
I drive alot for work and notice a majority of country stations push Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Dan & Shay, Luke Combs, and Morgan Wallen. Theres no break from it. I like that new song "creek will rise" and "mind on you" but its hard to find a station that plays them more often. If you have three stations to choose from, you can guarantee one of the artists i just named will be on one. Push diversity, Tim Mcgraw isn't the same as the one I grew up with, but his album is definitely worth a listen. Same with Cody Johnson.
this entire video explains exactly how it feels as a possible artist later. I have demos and songs just sitting and waiting but because of all these reasons I don’t want to ever release. It’s a lot of work with a lot of times not great turnout
I’m normally on top of album releases, I don’t know why I haven’t seen these. But also Grady, I would love to see you check out Chase Matthew. His new album was full of bangers and he’s got some great singles also
I also think with the fact that singles being released to the radio public later on in their run. So the “first week buzz” doesn’t matter when the same albums are being rotated through song by song in the public eye. Wallen does this especially well.
This video isn't meant to dance on the grave of any of these releases. Like I said, albums can become hits over time. But I wanted to make this video because I feel like we are watching a MAJOR shift in consumer behavior in 2023. Obviously, the country music industry has been gradually changing in the social media/streaming age, but it feels like it changed in warp speed this year.
The thing is, most modern country songs could be written completely by AI and nobody would notice the difference. Everything and most current artists sound the same.
@sunshinecoolwater9528 you could say the same about pretty much every genre today though
@@WolframeHDX I have heard about artists already relying on AI for some lyrics of songs...while it seems that AI will be coming for the jobs of songwriters, I think as long as writers do what Grady said (connect with the public in a big way), then their albums will be successful. For most artists, it is hard to maintain the public's excitement as your career advances and your library grows. I bet the public has liked songs that have been partially written by AI; interesting to see how accurate AI can get to connect with the public.
Grady,
This is an outstanding video of a, very, keen and thoughtful observation. Well Done
Great video as always grady
I think the style of country perferred by the public is changing and a majority of the radio stars aren't measuring in depth or width to the standard. I also wonder if because there are so many artists and releases now, country listeners are drifting back to the "old days" of only following a handful of artists because it's more digestible.
That's a great point about people shifting back to only following a few people. I think that may be happening too.
I feel like it may shift even more to the point of artists just covering each others songs (Luke and Morgan covering each others stuff, Eric Church just released a cover of "The weight" by The band, Tennessee whiskey, the Joe Diffie stuff from Hardy (though that's more of a tribute)) covers can be good when done well, but I feel like it may be an easier cop out than to write there own stuff knowing people gravitate to that more!
@@RookieRatcliff There's a legitimate argument to be made that more covers are good for the genre because they bring a new audience to the original artist's music. I read an blog post that argues cover songs have been decreasing over the past decade or so from country radio.
@@GradySmithfans have their handful of artists they like and stick to them.
You are so right on this ashlaww!!!
Like Grady mentioned, there is so much music being released by so many artists. If it is not one of the handful of artists or bands I truly love, I’m not checking out the whole album. I’ll definitely listen to individual songs by whatever artist that might be, but that’s about it
Country labels here in Nashville are 5-7 years behind the trends in marketing, social media, etc.. They’ve been doing mostly the same thing for over 20 years and are extremely resistant to change. I worked at one of the bigger ones for 5 years and every single album / single release was exactly the same. Even the photos and PR campaigns were so similar it was hard to distinguish which act was which. It’s truly a machine. LOL.
I see what you did there 🤣
That's not good.
This isn’t just happening in country music…its happening across the board
The hip hop scene, labels are dropping rap acts in favor of afrobeat artists. I listen to modern blues (which is more of a fusion genre now) acts and album sales are about 1% of total album sales even though they provide everything that people want in modern music (one writer songs, people playing traditional instruments, no sampling, good singers, good lyrics and guitar solos).
Yeah people just don’t tend to listen to albums anymore, they listen once or twice pick out the songs they like and never listen to the album again besides the songs they picked out for a playlist
No one buys albums anymore. Why waste the mid t when you can find nothing you want online?
Exactly what I said. If I were an artist, I would promote myself any which way I could, & as much as I could. That way, if I didn't make a big splash, I could say that I really did try. It doesn't work the other way around.
As a person who watches every video on this channel, I like when Grady mixes it up and gives us a video like this. The video is definitely not a flop, at least to the loyal supporters
Channels like yours and various websites have helped to increase awareness for an increasing number of artists, which is awesome for exposure to different styles of the genre. At some point, maybe there is a burnout from the viewers after hearing hundreds of different albums to the point where they start picking artists they really like and supporting them while leaving others aside (not for any ill will, but for musical brain space).
If I wasn’t such a big brothers Osborne fan I probably would have knows they released an album. I absolutely love Darius Rucker and saw him in concert tho summer and didn’t realize that his album existed. I’m a marketing major and have taken social media marketing classes so I find these videos super interesting. Very informative video
this is how i feel, im a film and television major but i take media marketing/PR classes so i even debated sending this to my prof
I never want to get to a point where artists release singles & not albums. It's the best way to get to know an artist more, tell a story, and let it become a chapter/sountrack to your life at the time. There's nothing better than listening to a new album by one of your favourite artists for the first time!
I think this is a change in music as a whole. The most popular artists, the artists at the very top of the industry across all genres seem to be reaching new heights, with massive releases coming from someone like Morgan wallen this year, meanwhile the artists who have had very successful careers, but haven’t quite been a top 5 artist of their genre seem to be met with poor sales and poor reception on any new release. In country it’s the guys like Morgan wallen and the Luke combs vs any of the artists mentioned in this video. In a genre like hip hop it’s the guys like drake and Travis Scott vs guys like trippie redd, lil tjay, even the meek mill and Rick Ross collab album was pretty much a flop and these are all artists who’ve had massive releases in the past 5 years just to see their most recent releases show a steep downwards trajectory that doesn’t seem to effect the top artists of rap.
People have been saying rap is falling in popularity in the same way this video mentions the poor sales of recent country releases. I think the real issue is music as a whole is losing popularity right now. People are just getting burned out when it comes to music. streaming platforms like Spotify have made music so accessible for people that they’ve become over saturated with music, with so many artists gaining traction and blowing up on these platforms and such a large selection of music at your fingertips it’s only a matter of time before you just get burned out with trying to follow such a massive industry which is growing at such a quick rate. The side effect of this music burnout is the exact reason we’re seeing continued success from the top 5 artists in a given genre because they’re known and are able to maintain that, meanwhile everyone else gradually fades in popularity as people stop paying attention to music and only pay attention to whats popular. This burnout wasn’t as apparent with cds because with that format music was less accessible and it made songs you’ve never heard before seem special. With Spotify and Apple Music, it’s just an endless sea of material and once you get tired of searching through it you end up just turning on whatever song is at the very top of the page, and there we have the downfall in popularity of middle ground artists, the ones who aren’t quite at the top of the page.
What an amazing take. I tend to agree. I've been saying this for a few years now, there's just too many new musicians now and I can't keep up. I once listened and kept up with rap. Now I hate the genre at least the new artists, and I don't even know any of the new artists.
I'm a die hard bleeding heart country music fan, it's my life, but It has become such a love hate relationship. I hate all the new pop stuff slthoufhr it's super catchy, like Morgan wallen, for example. Can't stand the guy or his music although he does truly make some super catchy songs. And you can't drive 5 minutes without hearing his song somewhere. So it's like you're exposed to some more than others and they stick around.
I don't willfully listen to his music, but I know his songs somehow. I've had faith recently as there's been a resurgence in country music with independent artists and a lot more traditional stuff still being released, just not on the radio and mainstream format because the radio companies don't want to play that stuff. I'm heart broken because country music is literally my life I just can't seem to find it anymore .
Acoustic music seems to be getting more popular. So are indie type genres (like shoegaze). Says something about burnout with the overproduced plastic of the last decade
"Standing Room Only" is the first really good single I've liked from Tim in a while, probably since "Humble and Kind" in 2015-16, and even though it wasn't released to radio, I also liked his cover of The Cars' "Drive" (my favorite song of theirs) in 2019.
To be honest, if it doesn't give me a notification on Spotify of a new release, I wait for your album reviews. Hearing you talk about new releases from artists I like remind me to check their stuff. Just in this video, I'll be checking Jake Owen and Kip Moore. There is a lot to be said for finding a community and a voice (like you) that feels like "one of us", a fan of the genre with good taste and who has the time and energy to follow what is coming out and give honest feedback on it.
So true!
I liked the new Jake Owen album (thanks to Grady) lol
I never comment on videos but this was so interesting! as a marketing major considering working in the industry, it was great to hear your perspective on some of the recent trends. I’d love to see more videos like this
I think with the rise of streaming it’s really hard to keep track of new releases unless you follow that artist specifically on social media… there’s been so many times I find out about an album a month or two after it’s been released
There is also something to be said about the artists that put a limit on themselves and their albums. Sturgill only released 5 albums, and called it quits when it came to releasing new albums. Now he occasionally shows up as a guest artist with someone else or he pops up in a movie or TV show, sometimes doing music for whatever he's in. Tyler Childers has been releasing albums with one less song on each one, claiming when he reaches 1, he will release the one song and go spend time with his family. The complete opposite would be Charley Crockett who at one time seemed to release multiple albums a year. We're definitely in a time of big changes, and I'm curious to see how things change in the following years.
You named some actual artists unlike many of those named in the video.
I respect their decision, but I’m not going to pretend it is some sign of artistic integrity.
Im ac a metalhead and i look forward to this channel for updates on country music
PR strategies should focus on reactions from everyday folks and channels on youtube, tiktok, and twitter. Don't even have to pay, just take away the blocks, and strikes and do rev share instead of claims. 90% of the revshare goes to an artist but you've got channels like NoLifeShaq, Alex Hefner and so many others that react to music that helps introduce people to new crowds while also giving their take. Nobody reads reviews anyone in print or online but you've got folks like Jelly Roll, Electric Callboy, Kid Laroi, and a ton of artists who got mainstream audiences that were being looked at by reactors before they were signed to major labels. There's other digital routes they could do as well but giving a concentrated group of reactors and influencers access to songs before their dropped so when it's dropped, reviews are up, they would cut their marketing budget by a ton.
I, in fact, did not know that these artists released anything. It does feel weird these days when albums and artists are sweeping the CMA awards and I’ve never heard of them. Country music advertising is not reaching young fans. The only way I know country albums dropped are from Spotify or Grady telling me
That is happening with every genre. Every listener is a hipster now. I believe afro beats is the only growing genre this year and even labels are dropping or not signing hip hop acts in favor of afro beats.
I think Spotify algorithms and curated playlists might also be a contributing factor - it just easier to play the same songs over and over again or put on one of the “daily mix” playlists in the background while I’m working. Discovering new music I actually like is hard and time consuming - I wonder if this is also true across the board or if it’s just specific to country albums
I love Jade Eagleson's album! It does require a lot of work to keep up with new albums and new releases in general -- all the more difficult because we have singles, EP's, and LP's coming at a rapid pace. Hardly anyone takes a break. We have singles, then an EP, then an LP, and repeat ad nauseum. Almost everyone is releasing something at all times, so LP's get lost in the cycle.
I still buy CD’s and the only store that I shop at with CD’s is Walmart and the shelf space for CD’s is almost entirely gone
Yeah I've only gotten into newer country recently. Listening-wise it's just the big ones you mentioned, and aside from that like Kacey Musgraves who I have always liked
Christmas music is gobbling up all the oxygen as it usually does this time of year, so it'll be interesting to see how this shakes out. I'd also be willing to bet country numbers are up way more in the summer
I don't know if this one will do as well as some, but I love videos like this one! Discussions of marketing, promo tactics, etc. are fascinating to me! P.S... yeah I had no idea most of those artists released new albums. I don't personally listen to a lot of them, but I still usually at least hear about them when they do.
I'll be honest, half those are either artists who were big 10 years ago or are lesser known artists
Or just plain suck.
Or some of the “radio hit artists”- the artists who have been around awhile and get played on the radio lots, but only manage to get one or two really big hits and aren’t really anyone’s #1 artist
I wonder if there’s any merit to the thought that a lot of these artists that are struggling have a more aging fan base. One that’s not as online, and pretty much picks the songs they like and just roll with those. Think about how many dads when we were growing up just listened to the music from when they were young.
It’s gotta be hard to sell music that parents listen to- to their children.
Definitely. It's not an easy world to navigate with how quickly the industry changes. Feels like it REALLY shifted in 2023 to me.
Grady you are so thoughtful and intelligent. Way more so than most in the music industry. It's a pleasure to watch your videos. Hopefully some of the music biz dum dums will watch you and learn a thing or two.
Definitely an interesting trend (I’m commenting before I finish watching the video). I wonder if this is due to some artists, such as Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, etc. simply being so huge now that they’re overcrowding the country music space. It’s evolved to a point where it’s not like at any point you could have twenty male and twenty female singers all performing well on the charts (case in point, the early to mid-nineties).
[Edit after watching] I also think we’re back into a phase where singles simply matter far more than full albums. Look how easy it is for country artists to cross over into the Top 40 now, whereas even some of those artists with crossover hits will barely sell any albums.
I’m a huge Ashley fan, therefore I know every speck of music she is part of. She continues to be working everywhere, but I think that’s because of her work to stay in the loop with country fans and the respect other singers have for her. Unfortunately, she isn’t getting as much airplay as I’d like to see (def not my fault 😂.) Quite honestly, the industry finds favorites and pushes them, hard. Also, if you follow an artist closely they often release nearly every track ahead of the album release, so you get few surprises.
Brenda Lee is the 5th country artist to hit number 1 on the Hot 100 all Genre charts with Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree to pile it on the country rules this year. Oliver Anthony also had a lot of songs that was streaming good when he first showed up. I don't think it is that. But, I think people are tired of the Nashville's take on country, and we are seeing the likes of Zach Brown, Oliver Anthony and Brenda Lee all traditional and classic country songs are in.
I think streaming has shifted the focus from new music to past catalogue. People were always listening to artist's older music, but there was not a way to track by how much after purchase before streaming.
If streaming services could split charts between new and previous releases, it might let newer artists and music have a chance against established catalogues.
Used music doesn't count as a sale along with non tracked albums from independents. That grey area might be larger than we think. 1/3 of my CDs are used or new old stock that was written off.
Definitely agree that its really hard to find new albums of artist I love. My wife and I were just saying that we miss those albums from like 2009-2015ish (yes some bro country) but also some really really good stuff that I still listen to today and I just dont get that excited like I use to unless its Morgan or Luke dropping something
Excellent narrative Grady. Something here in the UK I was unaware of.
How is Chris Stapleton not a “Kingpin of Country Music”?
Late to the party and the video, so this point has likely been raised - The streaming algorithms are too slow to update mixes and playlists unless you're going directly to the artist's new album a lot. I had to listen to Wyatt Flores' new EP for 2-3 weeks rather frequently for it to show up in my Spotify playlists over or along with his previous songs and he only has 17 songs on Spotify. Artists with much larger discographies are a much longer process.
For example, songs from Whiskey Myers' Tornillo (July 2022) rarely show up in my daily mixes and playlists, but Broken Window Serenade and Bury My Bones are in virtually all of them. Given that relatively few people buy albums anymore and it's going to largely be about stream units, the labels and managers should find ways to influence Spotify and the others to either adapt quicker or prioritize newer tracks in the discography. Maybe they do, but they need to do it to a higher degree.
There's also another discussion to be had about cycling in more deep cuts from artists you like rather than just the biggest streamers (including less popular songs from new albums).
2 things:
1. Social media and streaming have definitely ruined people’s attention spans, so the way we consume information is warped compared to years past. I also think there’s a bit of information overload that happens, so we end up just doing nothing most of the time and listening to what we know and love.
2. I’ve noticed artists are starting to put out over half an album before the album releases. Idk why or when this trend started, but it takes the excitement away for me. Examples I can think of recently: Midland, Randall King. 12 song albums, but put out 7 singles. That is WILD. Just deflating when release day comes and it’s like… meh. Idk what needs to change, but it’s kinda sad.
Great video, Grady!
I think ... and truly, I HOPE, that this is the consumer saying to the people behind the scenes in country radio, enough of this pop/bro/whatever, AWFUL "country" music that is played on radio, that ultimately says NOTHING and that just generally all around sucks. I truly LOATHE getting in the car and listening to what passes as country radio these days. If I'm driving any considerable distance, I'm on Spotify, but for short trips around town, I'm lazy and leave on the radio and let me tell you, what is played is some truly awful music.
And I would agree, the country genre is saturated right now. I was just thinking the other day, there's just too much (as I listened to Wyatt Flores and thought to myself, "Why haven't I heard this before??"). And I think you're right ... social media, VISUAL media, engaging visual media, resonated with younger people. This whole TikTok thing is kinda fascinating, even if I HATE the way it has cratered peoples' attention spans.
Mostly, I just hope this means we're going to see the continuing release of music that actually matters, and isn't just word soup to tick the boxes for a "country" song.
Interesting video, Grady! I feel you - too much is released all the time! There is no way to keep up..
Concerts are just so much more important. I saw Ashley McBryde in September 2022 and she played five of her 11 songs on her September 2023 Devil I Know album. That didn't include Kitchen or Women Ain't Whiskey which were out for six months before the release. For real Ashley fans, the Devil I Know is more a greatest hits package than new release. Gone are the days where you here one song early and then buy the album to hear the rest.
The DVD Beth Hart: Live At The Paradiso made her music industry famous. That DVD came out in 2004 and she first went public in 1993 after winning on Star Search. It became one of those things were every year since she became even more famous around the world especially with recordings of her live performances. Kasey Chambers blew up with a live cover of Lose Yourself she did at one of her shows. always put on a good performance because you don't know who is watching.
I live in Phoenix and can tell you that the radio stations play Morgan, Luke and Jelly all the time. Although I like them, the radio is not playing a ton of artists in my opinion.
Grady has mentioned this before, the billboard country charts are historically very static. #1s stay for a long time. While pop charts have lots of movement. The current pop #1 has been there 2 weeks. The previous #1 was there for 1 week. The previous #1 from that (Taylor Swift) was there for 10 weeks (I think).
Morgan Wallen has had a #1 roughly half the year
I think the days of albums are very quickly coming to an end. Likely within the next 5 years.
Kinda sucks for Mcgraw as Standing Room Only is his best overall album in a while
A very interesting video, Grady. And I can only agree with many of your points.
I've been listening to country music for over 40 years and I'm actually still someone who buys albums.
Both digitally and on CD or even better on vinyl.
As I live in Germany, country radio has never been relevant for me as it doesn't exist here. All the marketing activities also pass me by. Nevertheless, I have always found all the new albums through research. Recently, however, I have realised that this is no longer the case.
And I also have to say that the streaming offer is now so comprehensive and overwhelming that you can no longer keep up with it.
I've always liked the country ladies and have always been interested in new artists.
However, when I look at the list of "new" and really talented female artists now
(Karley Scott Collins, Catie Offerman, Lauren Watkins, Sophia Scott, Erin Kinsey, Megan Moroney, Ashley Cooke, Mackenzie Carpenter, Jenna Paulette, Emily Ann Roberts, Carter Faith, Ella Langley, Maggie Baugh and many, many more), you can hardly spare the time - and I really listen to a lot of music - to do justice to all the artists. So it inevitably boils down to focussing on a few artists that you really like, and at most only touching on all the others in playlists
I just have to say I was so excited to hear you say positive things about Old Dominion! I mean, it really wasn't about their music but it was nice to have you recognize that they're big in country music. I realize this doesn't mean you like them any more than you did before, just give me my win. HA!
Your videos are how I base my perception of how country music is doing. Also, a lot of my new music comes from your videos and how you highlight new artists I’ve never heard of before. Love your videos and thank you for all that you’re doing!
Really enjoyed this video Grady! Would love to see more industry-related “behind the scenes” content because you do a great job of it!
Another thoughtful and insightful video. Thanks grady.
These essay style videos are wonderful. Perfect for reviewing for finals. Keep it up Grady!!
Totally agree with your point in that album sales are now all driven by social media. To paraphrase ‘If your music isn’t on TikTok you don’t exist”. It’s sad because my extent of social media is casual Instagram and UA-cam but nobody is caring about the album anymore. I think also social media lends itself more to the concept that listens are driven much more by the artist than the music than ever before. No way Dolly gets that many streams because of her music but the brand that she’s created does. More than ever you need to have a brand or establish yourself as part of a particular group of listeners. I think that’s why so many of the albums are flopping is because these artist never established themselves and their brand with a specific group, so they’re music sits in no man’s land.
Great video!
Idk I was die hard country and knew everything down to the songwriters of every song from 2003-2012 but I guess I just got old. I don’t even know who any of these people are
It's not just you.
Do you think this is an issue across multiple formats? I wasn't too much into 80's country when I did most of my album buying, but even four decades on, I still remember not just my favorite albums from that period, but the whole life cycle of each one. If you hit the sweet spot where MTV Premiere/The First Single/The Tour all timed perfectly, you could have a Purple Rain/Like a Virgin/Reckless.
I get it, tastes change, formats change, but I can't seem to connect with the way artists are launched nowadays. Social Media forces performers to be in your face 24/7/365. It must get very exhausting for many of them. I suppose it's more egalitarian and DIY, but I miss the mystery even the mega-platinum 80's and maybe 90's stars seemed to have.
Bro there's just too much music to listen to now. I'm still going back and hearing albums I haven't heard from artists I already like, let alone searching out new ones.
You nailed it, man!
5 star vid that has me excited to fish through spotify for while thanks bruv
Thank you for putting this together. The math doesn’t add up when the most played radio artists have the most passive fan bases. Buzzing indie artists constantly get passed up on the biggest opportunities only because the labels don’t want to give up control to treat artists fairly (until the social media blow up occurs).
The public is more than capable of recognizing dispassionate music and the fan reactions show that. We never wanted to have to stand up for ourselves as artists but we’ve been given no option. The art and the artist now have to speak for themselves. You challenged the wrong crowd if you think artists are afraid to do things themselves - that’s how we all started.
#MakeMusicGreatAgain 🤘🏻
The basic formula for labels is 99% of the labels' money goes to 1% of the artists.
This is a video that every aspiring artist should watch.
Another great video Grady 👍🏼👍🏼
Great video! You need to listen to Chase Rice on Cam Hanes podcast. Not a fan of Chase but he talks about how he chased the radio hits/ didn’t stay true to himself and regrets it. He talks about having that realization at a Zach Bryan concert. Interesting to see his perspective looking back. I think that’s what’s wrong with a lot of country music now it’s not authentic and the authentic artist are blowing up while the rest fall back.
I think look at the artists that have a similar thread (especially Wallen, Combs, Bryan, Jelly Roll and Hardy) I think you can look at those and see kind of why. All with relatable (Morgan is poppy af but...... Relatable) authentic sounding music with soul. A lot of country feels so sterile and manufactured. With the insanity of the world and everything feeling social media fake, authenticity I think is being looked for.
That has always been the case. I remember the all hat no cattle days of the 1980s when rock tones were put into country music and "revived" country music. Bro country is rap party lyrics with traditional instruments.
Carrie's passion on social media is posting about her garden and vegetable growth. I don't think she wants to play the social media marketing game in selling her albums.
We now have music available wherever we are, whenever we want it, whoever we want to listen to, and then we have all the other artists that we didn't know about making their way in via playlists. 10 years ago (at least in the UK), I would listen to album from specific people that I liked... and when they released more, it was a big moment because finally I had new music to listen to. Now the time between my favourite artist releasing albums is taken up with different music, different artists, different collabs... but there is a saturation point where there's too much available for me to comprehend and I've listened to so much new music, that my favourite artist's new album gets swept up in that. Often I like listening to albums I listened to 15 years ago because it was at the time I listened to albums as a whole project, where I know which song is going to come on afterwards, it's comfortable. I'll put it on at track 1 and let it run through the album as nature intended!
Don't get me wrong, I love that there is so much country music available and I've listened to more artists than ever. 15 years ago, I would listen primarily to 5 artists (Lady A, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw), and according to my Apple Replay this year, I listened to 478 artists... but to go from ~5 to ~500 is nuts. We're at saturation point.
Fans are fatigued by quantity over quality. If you're a country music artist, you aren't competing with who is on the radio. You're competing to make something worth listening to against an 80+ year back catalog and growing. Why listen to someone from 2024 when I can listen to 1990's George Strait or 1950's Willie Nelson or 1970's Dolly Parton or 2010 Miranda Lambert?
We can also notice when an artist creates something meaningful (story driven) and takes the time to connect with their fans. (Turnpike Troubadours, Tyler Childers, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson). When Chris Stapleton performed an early version of Broken Halos on a nationally televised Nashville benefit show the fans noticed. When Vince Gill choked at George Jones memorial service, and Patty Loveless covered for him in their duet, the fans noticed. We notice the seemingly small things, and, sometimes it takes more effort than having something catchy lyric for a country radio single.
I feel like there are just too many artists to try and follow on a regular basis rn, it’s literally what happened to hip hop, hip hop became super popular, a ton of rappers came out, and everything got watered down and hard to keep up with, country’s popularity is hurting artist’s abilities to make a huge impact, but it’s allowing more artists to make smaller careers
I think there has been a heavy shift in the country genre. Lookin' at the Greenville Music Fest and it appears last years festival line-up was much more popular that this years line up. There seems to be more buzz for the Z Bryans and 49 Winchesters of the world than the traditional radio country that has been pushed down our throat for so many years. It seems more people are enjoying the great story telling of a guy like Charles Wesley Godwin. Minus people liking Morgan and Luke traditional country radio in the upstate of SC seems like a pop station. I personally hardly even cut my radio in the car on anymore. Just my thoughts...
As someone who can list tracks in order from 90s country albums, i barely know more than a handful of names you kept saying. Wild
Because what we like as country music fans is not what's played on the radio...
I legitimately don’t know if an album releases until months later when I watch you analytical video. In years past all you heard about was when big name artists were dropping their album. I kinda wonder if the problem is more so that for the past 3-4 albums these musicians have been chasing the public trends. So people that listened to their first couple albums loved the sound, then listened to the more processed albums that tend to happen with more label involvement. And now, no one even cares if they release anything because it’s the same inorganic 4 chords that their past several label driven albums have produced. Thus, no internet buzz. But yes, I don’t even see articles, radio ads, IHeart ads, nothing.
I think Country lost quite a few fans in its minivan & squat truck music decade. It all just felt so overproduced. I feel they're starting to correct it, but it's gonna be a climb.
And I think streaming services will mostly kill albums, unless the industry prevents it. Why "waste" money producing a whole album when you can just sell the whole thing as singles.
I'm just thankful for your channel in particular. It's how I found Hardy, Tyler Childers, & many others.
One also has to define country music since there has been so much fusion added since the 1960s. Just look at 1940s and 1950s country music which was done with acoustic guitars and harmony vocals only.
Does the season have anything to do with this? I live in the Midwest and I find that I listen to way less country in the winter… I’m just not feeling it in the same way… just a theory
That’s hilarious. Me too!
There's no monoculture anymore. Also, country music has drifted so far that nobody really wants to listen to it anymore. Hip-hop and country don't mix.
Another great video, Grady! Pleasure to meet ya this past weekend at the Ryman!
No joke beneath oak trees is a work of art
Country music always had a formula with the art of the music video, I would see a video back in the day that would introduce me to an artist. Because they have never been good at promoting new artists or even the mid level artist. Which sucks because sometimes I like listening to new people to experience a new sound, a new melody, something. Now its make something on social media or you are nothing. Which honesty I hate. Great content as always Grady.
Country fans were the last stronghold to profitable CD sales and they came later to streaming music. Unfortunately for new and older artists releasing new music, getting their new releases heard will continue to be a challenge. Grady is right that the old marketing ways aren't working. They will need a social media strategy that continues to create new buzz for them.
Not that related but I was glad to see Jade Eagleson mentioned, I saw him live this year and he was fantastic!
I wasn't expecting this video to be so insightful! Super interesting topic and the way you go about it :) :)
@codyjohnson is almost all I listen to these days in country, yes there are a lot of options out there, lke you said Id rather stick with what I like thanks to streaming services.... Old Luke Combs etc............. maybe country listeners are getting burnt out with the pop crap..... sure hope so.
Honestly Ik this is gonna get hate if anyone reads it but I feel like these artist who have all these old albums still taking over the charts is hurting the music more than it is helping. Half the people I know who listen to Morgan Wallen don’t like country music they just like Morgan Wallen. I feel a bit hypocritical for this considering I’m a similar position with metal. I don’t like metal but I listen to a bit of Metallica. While I’m not trying to spread on necessary hate to any artist, I just feel like most country fans like myself don’t want last night thinking about me and you proof to be the songs that represent the genre we love.
I've listened to some of those albums and some of those I didn't know existed. But out of the albums that just came out recently the one I am loving is Alexandra Kay's debut album. It's so good and definitely worth checking out.
I listened last week for the first time and was WAY impressed. As pop-country albums go, it's smart, painful, and all around good. I maaaaaaaaay have shoehorned it into my Honorable Mentions for year-end (b/c I had literally only listened to it like 2 days before filming that.)
As a fan of albums and a fan of a well planned live show set list, I struggle with the balance for bigger artists with long discographies. Artists I love, I want to hear the new stuff live but when I’m a casual fan, I typically want to hear the older stuff more. I think it’s difficult to find a middle ground without specifically touring an album.
Can you give us a list of the albums that are poorly streaming, in the description? So that we can actually go give them a listen.
Masterpieces like CWG’s “Family Ties” are a bit too deep for the Nashville bachelorette party set.
So wise as always Grady! I really wanna see more artists being EXCITED about their album releases because if they can’t get hyped about their own album dropping, then like bro, why on earth should we??
I agree. The band Sabaton I listen to did a live listening session, snipits of the album were released in december as well as announcing specialty merch to accompany the album.
There needs to be some sort of playlist on Spotify that shows all of the new albums released that week. Sometimes an album comes out and I don’t realize until a few weeks later that it came out
It seems like country is killing it at the moment... but really its just Morgan, Luke and Zach that are absolutely killing it
Been following you for years, this is yet again another well-thought-out excellent video!
"Country" music on the trad radio don't tell stories. It's basically pop music with a twang. Hell, Garth Brooks of the 90s couldn't hit the top of the charts today if he wanted to.
As a music fan, I feel overwhelmed with all the new stuff so I just kinda retreat and listen to the songs I know and enjoy listening to. So I’m not really listening to new music even though I want. It’s almost like I’m scared to be disappointed. 😔
I find searching for new music very overwhelming now because there's so much stuff, and I'm very picky. I don't like most things coming out these days, so it's very discouraging to try to listen to even old favorites. Yeah, I loved Tim McGraw in 2004, but I have a sinking feeling that I wouldn't like his new album, even if I had heard it was coming out (I hadn't but I'm extraordinarily unplugged). So I don't look for new music much anymore. If I do, it's a whole project, and it's pretty exhausting and disappointing. So when I do go on that venture, I usually head back to the 2000s, when music more often had a sound that I resonate with than music now (I'm very picky with production). And it's a bummer that that means I'm not supporting anything new, but hey, I don't like what's new. And when I try to force myself, because people /say/ that such and such thing is good, I find myself disappointed that I wasted so much of my time, next time I listen to music that I really do love. The difference is stark. Occasionally I can make myself like something more than I did upon first listen, but not often. So yeah, idk, maybe other people are overwhelmed, maybe the people who were once the demographic for this stuff have become nostalgic and listen more to old stuff like myself. I'm only 27 and I've already become the "music from my youth is the best" person. ugh
I think some of the artist that were huge like 10 years ago aren’t putting out albums that get tons of recognition because that style of country seems to be fading and artists like Zach Bryan are bringing back older sounding country music. Also awesome video Grady!
I listened to Ashley Cooke’s album but almost like unaware of doing so as it just kept coming up on my shuffle. I love Kylie Morgan’s album - and the best country album of 2023 for me is Alexandra Kay’s ❤
I think the era of albums are over. With the majority of music being listened to on a streaming service nowadays, how often do you put on an actual album, outside of the first listen? Compared to searching for a song specifically, or you put on a user created playlist that is just a single song from hundreds of different artists, Or hell, even a playlist of a single artist of multiple albums. I am a massive fan of Luke Combs, but I have cherry picked the best songs from Getting Old into a playlist, I dont put that on that specfic album.
Some of these songs pushed by record labels for radio play get played way too often. Just like jelly roll. It’s like every 30min they play his first or second single. After about a week you get so sick of hearing it and hear it so often there’s no need to buy the song on a streaming platform.
Well deserved; I hope all the sell-outs go broke.
I drive alot for work and notice a majority of country stations push Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Dan & Shay, Luke Combs, and Morgan Wallen. Theres no break from it. I like that new song "creek will rise" and "mind on you" but its hard to find a station that plays them more often. If you have three stations to choose from, you can guarantee one of the artists i just named will be on one. Push diversity, Tim Mcgraw isn't the same as the one I grew up with, but his album is definitely worth a listen. Same with Cody Johnson.
The reason is because none of these "COUNTRY ARTISTS" sing "REAL" country, so people got fed up
They have been saying that since drums and electronic instruments were introduced.
this entire video explains exactly how it feels as a possible artist later. I have demos and songs just sitting and waiting but because of all these reasons I don’t want to ever release. It’s a lot of work with a lot of times not great turnout
I’m normally on top of album releases, I don’t know why I haven’t seen these. But also Grady, I would love to see you check out Chase Matthew. His new album was full of bangers and he’s got some great singles also
Kinda ironic that these Nashville radio products aren’t getting picked up by the streaming algorithms
Great analysis Grady, really enjoyed it
I listen to mainly Morgan Wallen, Jason Aldean, Hardy, LOCASH, Brooks n Dunn, Granger Smith, Dierks, Jimmie Allen, and Miranda!
I also think with the fact that singles being released to the radio public later on in their run. So the “first week buzz” doesn’t matter when the same albums are being rotated through song by song in the public eye. Wallen does this especially well.