Aaron Pritchett recently released an opinionated piece on those in the industry and fans expressing their own opinions of country music on social media. It’s a long, scattered read – but an interesting one.
I’ve mentioned before, people are always shocked to find out I work in country music. The first question I’m always asked is; “Do you actually like country music?” My response is always; “It’s like any genre of music, there’s some really amazing stuff and there’s some complete garbage.”
Although Aaron does makes some valid points in this regarding the evolution of country music – I have to disagree with Aaron thinking people shouldn’t share or express their own thoughts and opinions. Even if someone is bashing a new country song – that may open the door for someone else to give it a listen and fall in love with it. Just the other day, I heard someone saying how terrible a new song was. Well, of course I had to hear how terrible it was for myself, so I gave it a listen, and guess what? I enjoyed it. It’s now been in my head for three days.
The online chatter is exposure for any artist – it’s a free marketing tool. There’s a famous saying; “There is no such thing as bad publicity.”
What do you think of Aaron’s own opinion, should fans and other artists keep quiet if they have nothing nice to say, or is music open for discussion?
Aarons Original Post:
It bothers me how people these days all have to have an opinion or feel the need to express their thoughts, either as a “professional” or as a music fan, through social media. Especially when it comes to the state of country music. A friend of mine once said it best… “it is what it is”.
Artists make music, producers and engineers put the touches to it to make it appealing to a demographic of people, radio stations choose to play it or not on their stations, in an attempt to entertain others. If you don’t like what you hear then make that choice to not listen and please don’t bash it because no one wants to hear negativity towards it. If you do like the music, play the hell out of it, sing along to it LOUD and TELL THE WORLD!! Because that’s aPOSITIVE thing and I believe that everyone should have nothing but positivity in their lives.
There are music genres out there that I don’t listen to, there are certain genres I DO listen to where I’m not necessarily a fan of some of songs or artists but I have the ability to change the station, so I do just that. And I have no need to talk about, critique or bash the ones I’m not partial to. I just simply choose to hear what I want to hear.
In this day and age, music (in particular country music) has been rapidly evolving. Especially in the last 2 years, I’ve noticed. Yes, the auto-tuning era is upon us, the heavily produced, searing guitar era has reached our genre but regardless, if it’s not your thing then don’t listen. This evolution ofmusic, all-encompassing, has been happening since the dawn of popular music and isn’t going to change because of anyone’s negative opinion. I hear some really great music on all genres of radio stations but if I hear something that doesn’t particularly stimulate the senses, I move on.
No one has panned my music to compel me to write this. What has, though, is all the negativity I am hearing from all kinds of people regarding a bunch of the music that’s being played on radio. Enjoy what YOU like to hear! Buy it, play it, crank it up loud and tell anyone you cross paths with to have a listen. But I ask you to turn off, do not buy and please don’t waste your breath on something that doesn’t appeal to you or you cannot relate to. It doesn’t matter which song, artist (band) or genre it is you’re hearing, to be able to apply that approach… just move on to what you DO like.
Fact of the matter is that in all genres the music changes and evolves. It’s been doing this for centuries now. Just like the fact we moved on from horse and cart to motorized vehicles, from two story wooden building to 140 floor skyscrapers and, now, from Waylon Jennings to Luke Bryan. Times change, sounds change, artists image change and the fans change as the new artists come along… it is what it is.
The pioneers of music in all genres are highly respected and are heroes. I think back to what brought me to be a country singer. I didn’t grow up on aranch. I had a pair of cowboy boots when I was 5 but not again until I was 22, I never bought my first cowboy hat until I was 27 and, in my teens, I listened to Def Leppard, Van Halen & AC/DC. But Randy Travis turned me on to country when I was 18 because, to me, his music sounded good. Some of the country fans back then thought he was too pop sounding, believe it or not. Now a days, because of the music changing so much, Randy Travis’s music is considered “old-time, twangy” country. And now I have seen THAT country music, which was so “left of centre” to people back then, transform into what it is today. It is what it is, folks, and that’s all there is to say about it.
Like it or don’t, that truly is YOUR choice, but essentially all we are trying to do as artists is entertain you. If we don’t then that’s ok by us but there is a group of people all of us artists, individually, appeal to whom we make happy with our music. And that’s just a positive thing.
I’ll keep listening to my favourites like Clint Black’s “Killin’ Time”, Garth Brooks first two albums, anything Randy Travis has recorded and Travis Tritt’s “Country Club”, but I will also keep all the new country tunes I have purchased turned up just as loud!!
Thanks for reading, guys and enjoy whatever music it is you love most!!
Aaron
