Fighting the Nashville Blues

Reader's Disclaimer:  All righty, you've probably have felt this vibe from my blog that I kind of have a grudge against Nashville country music and well yes, I do!  This might be a little long of a blog post, but there's just so much to say you could literally write a book about it.  I may have to have additional posts in the late future about Nashville, but any who here's my deal with Nashville Country music and if you're a big fan of Nashville country music artists like Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Toby Keith, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum or any other crappy Nashville music artist(s), STOP READING RIGHT HERE AND NOW, because I'm WARNING you, you might feel offended!  You've been WARNED!

I miss country music!

  

The music that is being broadcasted on mainstream FM country radio stations and what is on Billboard is what is being recorded and produced from Nashville.  Anyone who wants to become a well-known country artist must eventually go to Nashville.  It is the same concept as if someone wanted to become an acclaimed actor or actress.  They must eventually go to Hollywood.  Why else would Nashville, Tennessee be known as ‘Music City USA’?

To make this short and sweet...There are 2 reasons why I have a beef with Nashville country music:

Reason 1) Nashville has become nothing, but an industry and is too commercialized.

Reason 2) Nashville record executives are mostly to blame for the corruption of the country music genre. 

Now let me elaborate on each on my reasons:

Reason 1)  Nashville is nothing, but an industry and is too commercialized

- Dan Daley, has been in the entertainment business for over 17 years and wrote the book, The Nashville Music Machine:  The Unwritten Rules, and said this about the Nashville music industry, "Nashville has and always will be about the pursuit of success and money."  I totally agree with this statement.  Nashville is only concerned about what is popular and sells!  Award shows like the ACMs and the CMT Awards is not about celebrating great music and listening to killer live performances, it's all really about who can get the most awards, who looks the best on the red carpet and how many TV viewers are watching the awards show.  Nashville isn't about the music, but the moo-la, the dinero, the money!!!  Show them the money$$$!

There is a documentary called, The Other Side of Nashville, and Kris Kristofferson is interviewed in it and this is what he has to say about Nashville country music, "Commercial big word in those days.  Commercial is what Nashville is producing and if you were commercial you sold your soul.  If you were not commercial then you were soulful, like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash.  Nashville was not buying soulful and if you were not  being soulful then you were not being true to yourself.  Being soulful allowed you to be true to yourself."  I think that statement speaks for itself!

Reason 2  Nashville record executives corrupting the country music genre

- Billy Swan was also in The Other Side of Nashville and said this, "Nashville has always been a business, but now there are more business, bigger businesses, more people working at the record companies, more offices and more studios.  You used to walk into a record label and say listen to this I got something, I got something.  Now you walk-in and you have to have an appointment."

Okay, sure every music genre has evolved and country music should be no exception.  Also music may be considered as entertainment and country music like every other genre and is apart of the entertainment industry,  but I believe that every music genre has core values that it keeps through out each and every decade.  And Nashville record executives are the ones desecrating those core values of country music.  There are so many examples I could give here about Nashville record executive being corrupt, but to keep this post short and sweet that will have to be explained in another future blog post.  But if you want some specific examples leave me a comment below and I'll get back to you.  

Summary:

"I might be too young to have a point of view, but I just want to be a part of fighting the Nashville blues."  I want country music back!  The way it used to be and should be!  Where the singers just sang, they sang about the truth, real stuff that wasn't about "wrangler jeans, pickup trucks and Dairy Queens; that made the place I live sound like a bad cartoon."  Where the singers wrote their own songs and told you something story-like that was honest, truthful and soulful. 

I miss country music!  If you do too, leave me a comment below and tell me about it!