Dierks Bentley & Wife Welcome Daughter, Evalyn Day
- In their ever-exclusive fashion, People.com learned of the birth of Dierks Bentley and wife Cassidy’s daughter, Evalyn Day Bentley, who was named after her maternal grandmother.
- Dierks’ family isn’t the only one growing, Miranda Lambert blogged about her new horse and three new cats.
- Charlie Louvin’s motor home was involved in an accident in New Jersey on Sunday. Fortunately, he escaped uninjured.
- As a prelude to Tuesday night’s presidential debate at Belmont University, the Grand Ole Opry held a special, invitation-only concert at the Ryman Auditorium that included national media. Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood, Josh Turner and Julie Roberts performed along with CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer and his country band, Honky Tonk Confidential.
- Lee Ann Womack comments on allegations of a dark vibe on her new album, Call Me Crazy:
“It probably seems dark compared to what’s been made around here the last couple years,” Womack continued. “I don’t think it’s dark compared to Hank Williams or George Jones. It’s what I gravitate toward — songs that make you feel something.”
- Overall albums sales were down 12% through the end of the third quarter, but country album sales were down 16.7% and the labels’ efforts to push digital participation aren’t bearing much fruit.
- Investors.com takes a brief peak into the background of Randy Traywick, better known as Randy Travis, a flat-out hell-raiser who was already drinking by the age of 12, dropped out of school in the ninth grade and faced years in prison during his teens before being saved by his future manager and wife. (via ggcolumn)
- Daily Trivia: On this day in 1990, Alan Jackson made his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry while Garth Brooks was inducted as a member, and in 1996 Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were blissfully wedded.
- Could We Get Any Closer?, the follow-up to Jim Lauderdale’s Grammy award winning album Bluegrass Diaries, is available for download exclusively at his website.
- Country or rap? Follow the link and see if you can guess, based on a few lines, whether each of the songs is rap or country.
- In a New York Times article published on Sept. 5, Taylor Swift told Jon Caramanica that Fearless is “a continuation” of her previous album.
“Later on there will definitely be a huge temptation for me to make an alt-country record, something edgier and a little darker,” Ms. Swift said. But for now she’ll stick with what she knows, or knew: “songs that can be some sort of consolation for what people my age go through.”
- Patty Loveless and Hal Ketchum both received three and a half stars from Country Weekly’s Chris Neal for their latest albums, Sleepless Nights and Father Time.
- Watch the video for Miranda Lambert’s “More Like Her.”
- Congratulations to our Sugarland: Free Music Giveaway winners: Lewis, JAYDUB, FrozenPhan, Nicholas, and Ashley!
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Alan Jackson // Belmont // Brad Paisley // Charlie Louvin // Dierks Bentley // Faith Hill // Garth Brooks // George Jones // Grand Ole Opry // Hal Ketchum // Jim Lauderdale // Josh Turner // Julie Roberts // Lee Ann Womack // Miranda Lambert // Patty Loveless // Randy Travis // Taylor Swift // Tim McGraw // Trisha Yearwood
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16 Comments
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October 6, 2008 at 11:39 am Permalink
I was at the Dierks Bentley Music and Miles concert last night…and so was he. Kinda made me laugh, but he said if it hadnt been for the concert being a fundraiser for Vanderbilts Children Hospital he woulda called it off.
October 6, 2008 at 12:12 pm Permalink
So country album sales are down 16.7% and that is only expected to get worse when country fans eventually jump on the digital download bandwagon. How can this be??? We are constantly being told that Carrie, Taylor and the other flavors of the month are bringing new fans over to country music. The numbers don’t seem to be reflecting that, do they?
October 6, 2008 at 12:15 pm Permalink
A Taylor Swift alt-country record? Just another sign of the end times.
October 6, 2008 at 1:21 pm Permalink
wouldnt Swift recording that type of record be that be the final nail in the coffin of the term “alt”, as it pertains to non-mainstream country?
October 6, 2008 at 1:44 pm Permalink
All the cool people would probably have to go Ameripolitan.
October 6, 2008 at 1:55 pm Permalink
Man John, I am glad someone got in the requisite Dale Watson reference today,cuz I just didnt know if I had one in me!!
October 6, 2008 at 2:00 pm Permalink
Taylor Swift is so unkind to her adult defenders. “Oh yeah, I’m going to challenge myself artistically and write some music for grown-ups…next time!”
Boooo.
October 6, 2008 at 2:24 pm Permalink
“We are constantly being told that Carrie, Taylor and the other flavors of the month are bringing new fans over to country music. The numbers don’t seem to be reflecting that, do they?”
Declining country music album sales don’t necessarily constitute evidence that pop country acts have failed to bring new fans to country music. The most that can be said is that -if- pop country acts are bringing new fans to country music, then the gains aren’t enough to offset the losses. Those losses are likely driven by the changing nature of the market, the state of the economy, declining shelf space for music at brick & mortar stores, and other factors (for example, I’m sure some here would argue that there is declining enthusiasm for the music thanks to increased blandness and reliance on formula; some might argue that it is also country’s embrace of pop that has driven some fans away).
Two years ago, the changing nature of the market didn’t seem to be impacting the country genre so much. In 2006, country music sales were actually up while sales in other genres were down. Here is a Forbes article about this:
http://www.forbes.com/business/2006/11/02/country-music-sales-tech-media-cx_lr_1103country.html
At the time, Billboard’s Wade Jessen credited country music’s sales resilience to a few acts: Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Johnny Cash and the Dixie Chicks, noting that the latter two were certainly not benefiting from country radio exposure (the Dixie Chicks weren’t even self-identifying as country anymore, even though their album could easily have passed as contemporary country). In a Tennessean article on the Dixie Chicks documentary Shut Up & Sing, Geoff Mayfield of Billboard made the same point.
The thing is, they were both merely looking at who had the best-selling albums that year. We could do that for 2008 as well and find that the gaudiest sales numbers probably belong to pop country acts, more or less as was the case two years ago (other than Johnny Cash, obviously). What we didn’t know in 2006 and what we don’t know in 2008 is whether the people buying albums from the likes of Carrie and Taylor are in statistically significant quality supporting other country artists. I’m sure there is anecdotal evidence that some fans are, just as there is anecdotal evidence that some Taylor (or Carrie) fans are just Taylor (or Carrie) fans with no interest in anyone else in the country genre. But there isn’t any publicly-available data on the buying patterns of these fanbases.
Bottom line: Considering the multitude of other factors that are dampening music sales in all genres, I don’t think you can point to a year-to-year decline in country music sales as evidence that some acts aren’t bringing in new fans. For all you know, the sales declines might have been much worse if not for Taylor, Carrie and the like. That said, the fact that Taylor and Carrie have two of the best selling country albums charting right now doesn’t necessarily mean that they are bringing in new country fans. We would need different data to assess their impact in that area.
October 6, 2008 at 2:53 pm Permalink
I’m excited about Miranda’s upcoming album <3
October 6, 2008 at 5:25 pm Permalink
How in the heck did Julie Roberts get booked to share the stage with Josh Turner, Brad Paisley, and Trisha Yearwood at that private press event? My guess is that she performed between the top acts and Bob Schieffer to cushion the shock from the transition. Or maybe Julie was planted by the McCain-Palin campaign to drive the press out of Nashville prior to the debate! Hmmmm…….
What Taylor Swift said: “Later on there will definitely be a huge temptation for me to make an alt-country record, something edgier and a little darker,” Ms. Swift said.”
What Taylor Swift should have said: “Because I have made so much money off country radio’s audience, later on there will definitely be a huge temptation to give back to the genre by making and honest to goodness country record. Something with deep, meaningful adult lyrics and a recognizable country sound and style that will appeal to people over the age of 13!”
The Top 40 Crapola Country Radio industry has attracted a demographic audience that doesn’t seem to have much interest in purchasing the music they play. These listeners use country radio as background music to their daily routines and how many people seek out and purchase music they hear in an elevator or fast food establishment? There are big exceptions though like American Idol viewers and teeny-bopper and tween girls who will beg their mom’s into submission to buy the latest release from Taylor Swift, Hannah Montana, The Jonas Brothers, High School Musical, etc. The true country music lover / collector types have mostly abandoned AirHead Country Radio and find new music via satellite radio, MySpace artist websites, or blogs like The 9513. It seems its getting harder for everyone to find new artists and music that they get really excited about. Ultimately though I have to admit the availability of file sharing programs and the ease on unauthorized digital file duplication will continue to send music purchases into the tank.
October 6, 2008 at 5:35 pm Permalink
Mmmmmmm Julie Roberts. New album plz.
October 6, 2008 at 5:41 pm Permalink
Well, we might have a lot of big names that came from Belmont, but what are the chances of them all being available to do a show on the same night?
I’m no Julie Roberts fan, but as a Belmont alumnus I am contractually obligated from saying anything bad about her.
October 6, 2008 at 6:50 pm Permalink
Okay, who told Taylor Swift that Alt-country exists?
Also, I followed the link. Song #4 is neither country nor rap.
October 6, 2008 at 7:55 pm Permalink
“Okay, who told Taylor Swift that Alt-country exists?”
Nobody. She just heard the term somewhere but has no idea what it really means.
October 6, 2008 at 9:27 pm Permalink
Good one, Stormy!
October 7, 2008 at 9:28 am Permalink
I’m glad to hear that Julie is still alive and, apparently, being asked to preform. Gee, it sure would be swell if she’d put out some new music.
As for Miranda’s video…
Hmm.
I love Miranda like a fat kid loves cake. Am I the only one, though, that thinks she seems to have a hard time with videos? Not that they’re bad, per say, but they never fail to match up with what I think they should be. Watching this, I found myself thinking “I would have done this so different…wonder what happened this time?” Then I realized that I think I’ve thought that about almost every video of hers, save maybe Kerosene.
Singers are singers and not meant to be actors, so I’m not implying she should be taking home Oscars. I’d rather you be able to sing the hell out of a song than watch you “smile with your eyes.” But a song of this emotional magnitude deserves more than some Ikea furniture being moved about, a handful of “Stay” close-up references to Miranda’s WOE!ANGST! face and two partirdges in a pear tree.
Oy! Is there a career to be had doing nothing but writing treatments for videos?
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