The latest research surveying who listens to country radio stations — and how often — pinpoints some tough challenges ahead for an industry that has long counted on tradition and music lovers’ loyalty to the genre to earn a living.
One in five country music fans never tune in to country radio stations, according to a research study released Wednesday afternoon at Country Radio Seminar, a four-day national gathering of music makers, players and radio industry executives in downtown Nashville.
Instead, self-described country music fans get their music from websites, their own collections stored on iPods or listening to other types of radio stations, the annual report on industry trends found.
There are about 1,700 country radio stations in the United States. Each year DJs, station managers and corporate radio executives convene in Nashville, along with country music artists and Music Row representatives. The annual gathering includes a state of country radio report released on the first full day of the convention.
Country radio already does a good job keeping its hard-core fans but has to do better reaching those casual country music fans who are more likely to be women, relatively new fans of country music and have a favorite radio station that doesn’t consistently play country, according to the study conducted by Edison Research.
“We run the risk that we just are more and more pleasing to fewer and fewer people until all we are is ecstatically pleasing a tiny, unsustainable number of people,” said Larry Rosin, Edison Research’s president.
The study also identified a “twang” divide between hard-core country fans and others who like country but aren’t dedicated country radio listeners.
For example, nearly twice as many devoted country fans as casual country fans (77 percent versus 46 percent) liked Rodney Atkins, Josh Turner and Billy Currington – artists with a noticeable country twang to their singing. But artists such as Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood don’t divide fans, earning equally high marks from both devoted and casual listeners.
Special Comment by Marty Martel for WHISNews21
Another great article by Anita Wadhwani [awadhwani@tennessean.com] of The Tennessean. The fact of the matter is that Country Radio is controlled by corporate company’s and no matter what we say or do to change their way of thinking, they control radio of today, and there is no place for artists who are not in their 20’s, 30’s, or 40’s, in fact they could care less about the past. All they care about is what they want to hear, selling of advertisement, and you and I are not going to do anything about this problem, unless we continue to shove it down their throats that some of the music they are playing is junk. They admit they are not addressing a large contingent of a demographics that is still alive and well and want to hear traditional country classic music, AND THEY WILL LISTEN TO A RADIO STATION THAT WILL PLAY THAT MUSIC.
(in a tizzy) : God, can I ask You something?
GOD: Sure.
Me: Promise You won’t get mad?
GOD: I promise.
Me (frustrated): Why did You let so much stuff happen to me today?
… … GOD: What do you mean?
Me: Well I woke up late,
GOD: Yes
Me: My car took forever to start,
GOD: Okay….
Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait
GOD: Hmmmm..
Me: On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call
GOD: All right
Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soak my feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn’t work. Nothing went right today! Why did You do that?
GOD: Well let me see….. the death angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.
Me (humbled): Oh…
GOD: I didn’t let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that might have hit you if you were on the road
Me (ashamed): …………
GOD: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn’t want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn’t afford to miss work
Me (embarrassed): Oh…..
GOD: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn’t even let you talk to them so you would be covered
Me (softly): I see God
GOD: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn’t think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I’m sorry God.
GOD: Don’t be sorry, just learn to trust me………in all things, the good and the bad
Me: I WILL trust You God
GOD: And don’t doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan
Me: I won’t God. And let me just tell You God, thank You for everything today.
GOD: You’re welcome child. It was just another day being your FATHER and I love looking after my children.
STAY INSPIRED:
Your list of good qualities keeps getting longer!
True happiness is still free! Be good to yourself , too!
YOU ARE SOMEONE’S INSPIRATION !
Follow your heart, it is smarter than you think!
Even the smallest act of kindness have the power to change lives!
Think, Plan, Dream, Do!
……….. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him..
Psalm 37:7