JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Why today's country BLOWS!!!!

Perhaps in spite of your good intentions, you are still rather condescending in how you choose to speak.



Still chest thumping, trying to make your argument more believable by telling me how strongly you believe it.


I could make a strong argument how modern Nashville albums, these so called corporate monstrosities--are actually deeper now, on the whole much better than when the single was king and record companies rushed the artist into the studio to record the other nine tunes so they could get the album out there while the single was hot.

When LPs took the shape of little silver disks, there was more space to put stuff. When the Internet and Napster came along, it also forced the hands of these corporate monsters into having to make every song count. If an artist is still to sell their wares, their wares better be pretty good, nowadays. Country albums sucked, on the whole, up until this modern age where every song became crucial to the albums sales.

You are also trying to say this corporate phenomena is something new, Michael, but there's always been about half a dozen major labels conglomerates that account for the bulk of sales in music. Back when I was a buyer for Tower Records, it was Polygram, BMG, WEA, MCA, CBS and I know I'm forgetting one or two others. These majors did their dirtiest work in prior decades of big payola and rushed albums.

So while it may feel to you like today's corporate driven music is not as good as yesterday's (corporate driven music), or today's Indie market, I would argue that it's simply a case of apples and oranges, and I would do it without insulting you in the process.

The best thing..the bravest thing, is to lead by example. You think your artists are better? Promote them somehow, and do it in a way that is not condescending to others, or you will not fare well. Is it not possible to raise something up without tearing something down?

Mike