What do the words "Country Music" mean to you?

Wally Giffin · Post by **Wally Giffin** » 7 Dec 2002 1:51 pm

A forty something female friend of mine recently emailed these to me after bugging her for the umpteenth time to come out to hear our band.

New Country an Western Song Titles
-----------------------------------------------
* Get Your Biscuits In The Oven And Your
Buns In The Bed

* Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth 'Cause I'm
Kissing You Goodbye

* Her Teeth Were Stained, But Her Heart Was Pure

* I Changed Her Oil, She Changed My Life

* I Don't Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling

* I Flushed You From The Toilets Of My Heart.

* I Keep Forgettin' I Forgot About You

* I Wanna Whip Your Cow

* I Would Have Wrote You A Letter, But I
Couldn't Spell Yuck

* I'd Rather Have A Bottle In Front Of Me
Than A Frontal Lobotomy

* I've Got The Hungries For Your Love And
I'm Waiting In Your Welfare Line

* If My Nose Were Full of Nickels, I'd Blow
It All On You

* If You Don't Leave Me Alone, I'll Go And
Find Someone Else Who Will

* Mama Get The Hammer (There's A Fly On Papa's Head)

* My John Deere Was Breaking Your Field, While
Your Dear John Was Breaking My Heart

* Pardon Me, I've Got Someone To Kill

* She Got The Gold Mine And I Got The Shaft

* She Made Toothpicks Out Of The Timber Of My Heart

* Thank God And Greyhound She's Gone

* They May Put Me In Prison, But They Can't Stop
My Face From Breakin' Out

* When You Leave Walk Out Backwards, So I'll Think
You're Walking In

* You Can't Have Your Kate And Edith Too

* You Done Tore Out My Heart And Stomped That
Sucker Flat

* You're The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly”

So laugh and smile. Yes, some of these titles are very funny. But when I’ve asked if they might not like “Country” because the lyrics hit too close to home, I usually am offered a nod of the head or a yes.
Boy, but for the Good Lord, there go I.

I have known the lady that sent me the above song titles for four years now. She is not in any way a vindictive type of person; I know she thinks the world of both Judy and me and would not have sent the email to me except for the fact that this is probably the first time she has ever seen these song titles. I feel that more than likely she sent it to me just for the obvious reasons: that she thought it was cute and I would get a kick out of it. I have seen this message about song titles at least fifteen times over the Internet and yes; I still get a kick out of it.

However, after several different scenarios talking to folks about “Country Music”,
Being a musician for over forty years; after putting on over ten Pedal Steel jams in the Seattle, Tacoma area and talking to many of my fellow musicians and band followers, I got to thinking that there is something drastically wrong here.
My friend will not come to hear our band; the club does not want to advertise us as a “Country” band, and on and on.
I have come to the conclusion that the biggest problem my band and most local “Country” music bands has today is what folks think of when they hear the name “COUNTRY MUSIC”
So the question naturally follows: Why? And what do most folks really think when they hear those words?

I worked on a local Elks club for a little over five years before we got our first booking and he booked us just because of our reputation. The club manager told me that I should not advertise my band as a “Country” band. I told the manager that I didn’t care how they advertised us; just please book us.
I was confident that with the Black River Falls Bands (www.blackriverfallsband.com ) reputation of being one of the longest continuous working “Country” style band in the Pacific Northwest over this past twenty two years, the large variety of music we do, from “Crazy Arms” to “New York, New York” along with “The Boardwalk”, to “Sweet Little Sixteen” and with the following we have, we would bring in enough of a crowd to do a good job for him and make the club money.
After about the third time we worked there, they came out in their own advertising that we were a well liked “Country and Variety” band and were drawing quite a crowd.
The majority of the crowd in the beginning was our band regulars but in the past couple of years we been slowly gaining many of the local club members who love the kind and variety of music we give them.
The last weekend we worked, was the largest crowd ever on both nights. And I stayed home for the first time in my life to take care of my wife. Our own Jimmy Webb, steel picker supreme, took my place and even though the band had a fantastic time, I didn’t even get fired. Maybe I should stay home more often.

The young lady who sent me the email message knows that I have a “Country Music and Variety Band”. I have told her even though we could do old tear jerker country for four or five nights in a row without repeating a single song, (We have three singers in the band); that we do a large variety of music and would not be working unless we mixed it up.

I realize that many folks are just not into music and/or dancing and with the boob tube, sports, VCR’s, DVD’s, Sony PlayStation, etc they don’t often think of going out to a nice dinner to hear some good music, relax and dance the night away or for that matter just come out to relax and enjoy the entertainment.

But, I have a real hard time when it comes to people, like this acquaintance of mine, that will go out to dance the night away at some other venue, whether it be “Blues”, “Pop”, “Rock” or any other kind of music, but they refuse to come out and hear a band---not only our band, but any other band---because they have the word “COUNTRY” in their band name or advertising.

Judy and I, when not working with our band, go to see many different kinds and types of music and bands. We not only go to see what the competition is, but to support these clubs. This includes the animal clubs as well as the public clubs and bars.

There are many bands out there right now and right here in our neck of the woods that advertise themselves as Blues and Jazz bands.
But when Judy and I go to hear what the competition is we find that they are playing mostly fifties and sixties “Country” songs along with ‘Country” rock and maybe one or two more modern Country” songs. They wouldn’t know a blues songs if it bit them. And of the one band around here that advertises itself as a “Blues” only band—what they play is what I call screaming rock and roll from the and seventies and eighties---Max fuzz on almost every song. That kind of means to me that the song is rock no matter what flavor you put on it.
Five times in the past several months I have been into a local club in Spanaway that advertises its music as “Blues & Jazz” at it’s Sunday night jams. The first four Sunday nights were ninety percent “Country Rock”. The fifth Sunday I went in there I was pleasantly surprised to her a band that actually played some blues along with a lot of jazz. Wow, what is this world coming to?
Seems to me that a majority of these so called “Blues” bands have found out that folks do not like the word “Country” because of what they think or feel “Country” music is.
For some reason that word ‘Country” has as many definitions as there are people and hopefully this next part will enlighten some of you.
It is my feeling that when many folks hear the ‘C’ word, the first thing they think of is either old time cowboy or western music from the thirties or forties. Or they think of a band that performs nothing but top forty line dance music or maybe even in this modern world they can go to see a so-called modern “Country” band that plays nothing but top 40 ”Country” which, in my and many other musicians and patron’s opinion, is nothing but warmed over rock and roll.
One friend of mine said he just loves “Country” music. “It just don’t get any better than “Johnny Cash”. Well, I’m sorry, but, in my and many other musician’s minds, most of his songs are more from a Folk or Rural perspective.
Yes, there are bands around here that do mostly fifties and sixties type “Country” music. This is the music that started with Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzle, The Louvin Brothers, and several others, along about nineteen forty nine and up into Connie Smith, Ray Price, George Jones, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Wynn Stewart, Loretta Lynn, Hank Thompson, Faron Young, and others into the sixties. Most of these bands play a variety of beats and fifties and sixties “Country Rock” along with it. My God, they even do a waltz occasionally.
Much of this music is called shuffle music. Just exactly what quite a few of the pro road pickers wanted to play when they came back to Nashville and went down to Gabes for a relaxing night of, IMHO, GOOD music. Or at least before Gabes shut down. I don’t know where they go now.

Many of the younger generations have never heard any of these good old shuffles.
Some of them think old “Country” music is “I Love A Rainy Night” by Eddie Rabbit that came out in the late seventies and for them that is old.
One of our top radio stations here in Seattle uses that song and has for ten or more years as their signature Country Standard, but be damned if they’ll play anything from the fifties or sixties.
Maybe that is part of the problem. The vast majority of today’s folks have not heard any good “Country” music. If “I Love A Rainy Night” is an example of old country, or a country standard, then it’s no wonder IMOP “Country Music” has a bad reputation and we are in big trouble.

There are bands that play nothing but “Rural”, “Folk”, and “Old-time Cowboy and Western”---Twenties, thirties, and forties type of music. Jimmy Rogers, Son’s of the pioneers, Gene Autry, Roy Rodgers type of western music. Most of these bands pick at local jam sessions or monthly showcases, but are not much in demand at the local clubs.
There is a band down South of here that plays most of their music with a “Western Swing” flavor. They are an excellent band, but the club owner told them if they played a song newer than 1965 they would be fired. Well, they do perform some songs newer than that, but they definitely have the old time flavor and they play 95% of them with a Western Swing Flavor. They don’t draw much of a crowd either.

So, what do the words “Country Music” really mean to you?? And please let me know your age. It makes quite a difference in perspective.
Some of the responses to this thread will be used in an upcoming article at the www.blackriverfallsband.com website which is the home of the Northwest Country Music Scene Newsletter. This month’s newsletter article is an interview with Judy Kuneman-Giffin, a very well known local singer who has terminal colon cancer and is not expected to live through the month.
This article will also be submitted to a local newspaper that I feel has slammed country music every chance it gets and treats “Country” musicians in general very poorly. This despite the fact that Country is the second most listened to radio after talk radio and has a huge following.

Should I start calling my band the Black River Falls “Blues”, “Variety”, or “Standards” band and try to get the reputation of being mostly “Country” oriented out of it or should I just keep trying to educate folks as to what they are really hearing? If you have some answers, please let me know. I am open to suggestions.
Wally Giffin www.wallyjudy@msn.com www.blackriverfallsband.com

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 7 Dec 2002 4:01 pm

I think you're right, Wally. I think that many people today associate "Country Music" with Urban Cowboy and newer country pop, and a lot of people don't like that music.

Maybe the kind of "real country" music that most of us enjoy would be better categorized as "folk" if it's mostly acoustic, or "honky tonk" if it's electric. I know one country band who says that they do "western swing and blues". They're not much different from other bands I've been in, but they are very successful at marketing their band without the "country" labeling.

Musical labels are hard to nail down. I think of Open Hearts (the band I'm in) as a "rock" band, but I've heard us described as "folk-rock", "new age" and even "jazz". Our music doesn't fit those labels in my mind, but maybe I'm too close to the music to offer an un-biased description.

------------------
<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic), Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6), Roland Handsonic

Leigh Howell · Post by **Leigh Howell** » 7 Dec 2002 4:20 pm

The words Country Music to me mean.Lying on the living room floor in front of our gas stove when I was 10 yrs old, listening to. Lee Moore the coffee drinkin nighthawk. Wayne Rainy, and Lonnie Glossen. the Wheeling Jamboree. The Opry.Ernest Tubb, Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff. And many more. Playing clubs for 30 years. Knowing that the fans in the clubs were enjoying themselves, and feeling a bond with them, because we shared the same feeling for the music that we all loved so much. Because we were, and are aware that not everybody likes country music. But we do!!! And that makes us special!!

Leigh

R. L. Jones · Post by **R. L. Jones** » 7 Dec 2002 9:09 pm

Just my opinion;; If some one gave me the C D s with those titles on them I`d add them to my fireplace ,hoping to get some use out of them.

I think the morals of this counyry have gone to the dogs Hey , I`m not a prude just decent.

Perhaps I should not have posted to this thread.

Please ;No Offence meant/

R. L.

R. L. Jones · Post by **R. L. Jones** » 7 Dec 2002 9:26 pm

What is country music?? To Me it is not pop , rock , played with stringed instruments.

Country Music is "Ballads" Story , Love songs , Sad songs , Songs about life. Happy stories in song .True life songs that have emotions real soul ,songs that touch the heart. written as poetry with a pretty melody, Played with guitars fiddles "STEELS, Dobros. etc

How old am I?? I spent 4 yrs. in W W 2.

In W W 2 everybody could tell you what country music was ,city boys country boys

NUFF said

R. L.

Leslie Ehrlich · Post by **Leslie Ehrlich** » 8 Dec 2002 2:03 am

Hey Wally, you started a thread I was thinking of starting. Thanks for beating me to it.

I've been around forty some years and I've heard a lot of country music. Some of it I like, and some of it I hate. It all depends on the song and how it's performed.

If I hear Merle Haggard sing 'I'm A Lonesome Fugitive' or Buck Owens singing 'Love's Gonna Live Here', that is GOOD country music that I can listen to over and over again.

But if I hear Paulette Carlson of Highway 101 sing 'Whiskey If You Were A Woman' or Conway Twitty singing 'Fifteen Years Ago', that is BAD country music that I never want to hear again.

The REAL problem with country music is that it has become too formulaic over the past decade. A lot of singers and groups sounded similar, thanks to the mass marketing machinery of major entertainment
corporations. Male vocalists wanted to be cowboys and female vocalists wanted to be divas. This is still the case with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, the dynamic duo that dominates the country charts today. Rock and pop music suffers the same problem. Too many people trying to do the same thing. And this is probably why some people shun country music like the plague.

Country music is undergoing some soul searching right now. The formulas are losing their strength and people want something different. Where it will go is anybody's guess.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 8 Dec 2002 5:36 am

A quality singer, Male or Female, A cool clean Telecaster and an up front Pedal Steel grooving on a 3/4 or a modest tempo 4/4.

Merle , George and Connie are good examples for me.

tp

Larry Miller · Post by **Larry Miller** » 8 Dec 2002 5:38 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Conway Twitty singing 'Fifteen Years Ago', that is BAD country music that I never want to hear again.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Huh??!![This message was edited by Larry Miller on 08 December 2002 at 06:14 AM.]

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 8 Dec 2002 6:17 am

I think Larry spoke for a lot of us, when he said,"HUH?"

Wayne Morgan · Post by **Wayne Morgan** » 8 Dec 2002 9:49 am

I am what I would call a die hard, traditional country fan, Jones, Haggard,Price,watson, ect, but whats wrong with "Fifteen Years Ago",,,,guess I would have to say "HUH". And Tony I think Mrs. Smith is the greatest.

Regards
WAyne

Leslie Ehrlich · Post by **Leslie Ehrlich** » 8 Dec 2002 11:45 am

Actually, 'Fifteen Years Ago' isn't a bad song. I heard the Statler Brothers do it once, and it sounded great. I just don't like Conway Twitty. His steel player, John Hughey, was interesting to listen to. I think it was Hughey who popularized the 'bar shiver' technique.

By the way, I can remember a singer by the name of Ben Colder doing a song called 'Fifteen Beers Ago'. I think it was the same song with different lyrics.

R. L. Jones · Post by **R. L. Jones** » 8 Dec 2002 1:53 pm

Country music is My life , It has been my life always

R. L.

Andy Alford · Post by **Andy Alford** » 9 Dec 2002 7:59 am

Hank Williams with Don Helms

Bill Llewellyn · Post by **Bill Llewellyn** » 9 Dec 2002 8:31 am

To me, country music is, or at least conjures up, a state of mind, with its roots in rural America where life is tough but not without its joy, where life's incidentals are seldom elegant but the countryside is always gorgeous, where the weather doesn't just dictate which coat you wear to work but touches every facet of your life, where people are not crowded into cut-throat competition, where the best social programs around are your neighbors, where folks really know each other and it's a lot harder to get by as a phony baloney, where the old fashioned ways of family and community are deeply rooted because you could hardly survive there without them. Country music is an expression of the soul of this kind of culture. In it's purest form, country music is relatively simple in structure and is played on acoustic instruments (oops!) which could have been honed out of the trees from a nearby woods, with the songs passed along through generations or written by some farmer or grist mill owner who just had a bad harvest or just married off a daughter.

I'm in my late 40s and was never really a part of what I described above, though I grew up on the fringes of a rather rural area that had some of that character. I must admit I have romanticized a lot of that persona, but there's probably some truth to it. I also think the trend toward urbanization has distanced a lot of our populace from this kind of life--people can't identify with it any more. So the traditional country music has less draw now and a fair amount of popular country has transitioned into a caricature of itself. That caricature is driven by what will sell, which has to have a good beat (thus the rock underpinnings) and a catchy "hook" (and thus the pop connection). It also needs to be durned near perfect in its execution to maximize its chances on the radio, and thus the use of world-class producers and superlative musicians on virtually every CD. It's a business now, and business people will understandably use the tools they have available to succeed. This doesn't mean that good and even great music can't come of it, but the driving force behind the music has changed dramatically over the decades.

All that said, I do like a fair amount of what I hear today-the artists people describe as "neo traditional", like Alan Jackson, George Strait, Lee Ann Womack, Vince Gill, Randy Travis, Dixie Chicks, and others.

(Gads, can I ramble, or what?)[This message was edited by Bill Llewellyn on 09 December 2002 at 08:46 AM.]

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 9 Dec 2002 12:22 pm

Well, you might have missed the point, or as usual I didn't do a real good of reading your post.

I have a theory of why "country Music" has "gone to hell".

I grew up listening to the late might skip of Cousin Herb, from my old RCA AM Radio in Eastern Oregon.

I remember all kinds of songs. The ones that were my favorites I guess you could call "novelty songs". I think the king of them might have been Jimmy Dickens, with "out Behind The Barn", or Stole My SG, but George Jones was right in there too. "I'm a People" where he bemoans not being a lower form of primate." "All of the Monkeys Ain't in the zoo" where he likened the current young and "In" croud to some of these lower primates, "Ain't No Haint gonna scare me away". "Take Me back to the good old days" where he was projected into the future to a time when carnal procreation was replaced by a pill. Then Tommy Collins Echopexian, "If You Can't Bite, Don't growl". Ernest: "Has anybody got a little black book I can borrow, cause the girls in mine are all dead or in the Old Folks Home."

I suppose besides Standard Bluegrass, like "Banks of the Ohio" where the subject "killed her dead as she coulld be, because she would not marry me." or "I'm my Own Grandpa" about a not all that uncommon occurrence, the "Uncle Dad" thing, there were a thousand Johnnie and Jack, Stoney and Wilma, Homer and Jethro, Kitty Wells', and other "Real Country" tunes. Somehow they, the mainstay of popular Country Music in days gone by seem to have been left out.

In more recent examples, George Strait's "I'm Gonna Kill You" where he's gonna "permantly close those cheatin' bedroom eyes", and "Bury you in a box about half your size" was ditched post haste when he "got big". I thought it was his best song. "Cheap And Superficial" where Clint E, girlfriend was sitting on her barstool with her "makeup all amess, and most of what's she's drinking, running down her dress." ( dunno why that didn't make the top ten...)

Anyhow, it's gone from the Real Roots of Country Music, and it's Popularity to some "Revisionista" version, where it's all about "Real, Down Home, Personable, Touchy Feely, Genuine, and other euphamistic crap, descriptions of "our thing".. Evidently to "appeal to the mainstream".

I think Alabama's "Prop me up beside the jukebox when i Die" was about as racy as they got. We heard no end of "flack" when Garth sang the song about the guy's wife drilling him for coming home smelling funny.

I think there's a LOT of denial out there as to where "It All" came from.

I haven't forgotten.

It's the kind of thing that will occaisionally find me listening to the "Emminem" thing about how he's gonna kill his mom for trying to poison him when he was a kid, or some neighbor homeboys informing some of their peers that they are going to get a "brand new flavor in their ear", as they get dirt shoveled on their heads after a gunbattle.

I wish to heck that a "new breed" of performers and/or producers would get out there and "take some chances".

In my opinion , not doing so is more likely what will "kill" "our music". Not being ignored by those that "object" to the "raw, insensitive, or otherwise "offensive" content of it.

I thought Br-549's Eighteen Wheels and a Crowbar is about a close as anybody has gotten in recent memory. "Indian Boogie to a White Man's Song". How racially insensitive.

We'll see, I guess.

Just the opinion of a Truck Driving Might-have-Been with harley oil on my hands and keyboard waiting for my parts to get here...

-OR-

If I read it wrong, as I usually do, As Gilda Radner used to say..

"Never Mind".........

------------------
Eric West
'78 Pro III Sho-Bud
'75 MSA Red Baron
'63FLH 90cid Panhead Stroker
'80 Gold Wing
-Peavey: When it's *not* about "The Sound"-
"You can Smart Yourself Dumb.
Why Can't you Dumb yourself Smart?"-Me
"There are only so many ways to fry cat food."- Buster
"At my age, sometimes I run out of Adrenaline, but I've still got plenty of Gall.." -Me-

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 9 Dec 2002 12:35 pm

Oh, and to answer your question, and I'm serious here, "It" is being successfully marketed nowadays, especially in the Northwest as

"Alt." or "Alternative Country".

Get one guy to slick his hair straight up in the air, and one guy to wear a stupid looking bowling shirt. An old Lime Green Gretch Country Gentleman, or a Danelectro doesn't hurt either. I swear it sells.

It's being sold quite sucessfully down here in Big Poodle (Portland Ore for Mr York) at the 10$ admission "Vampire Girl" venues. One of your local bands, "The Dusty 45's" is a good example. They're opening for Br-549 here at the Alladin Theatre in January. They play Johnny Cash, Polka, Tijuana Brass, Truckdriving, Hotrodder, and Rockabilly. Lately, they're my favorite band to "go out and see".

Try it.

EJL[This message was edited by Eric West on 09 December 2002 at 12:36 PM.]

Joel Glassman · Post by **Joel Glassman** » 9 Dec 2002 1:24 pm

I think of country as music which evolved out of
Western swing and “Hillbilly folk music” :^)
It lasted for about 25 years into the late 1960s.
Great country music written since then is looking
back to this era for its form and content. The music evolved
into the Countrypolitan-urbancowboy-southernpop-hotcountry
genre. (It’s a bit of a tongue-twister. I prefer to use the term “poop”)
“Country” is now a subject matter for some of this new music. Once
this subject matter, the southern/western accents and
“twang” are completely gone, the music will become known
as “mainstream non-urban corporate pop”
--Joel

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 9 Dec 2002 1:47 pm

What does it mean today? (the tag - Country Music)..... Something to "run" from, if you don't want to make a living from it anymore! www.genejones.com [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 09 December 2002 at 02:06 PM.]

Leigh Howell · Post by **Leigh Howell** » 9 Dec 2002 3:51 pm

Bill.
You'd better believe there's truth to it. I was raised in the environment you described. In the mountains in Tioga county Pa. I'm 69 yrs young and lived that country experience much to my pleasure!!

Leigh

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 10 Dec 2002 7:47 am

I guess it's the Cowboy Hats and Boots that makes one Country today.

seriously if one has to explain what country music is stay Rock.

------------------
CJC

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 11 Dec 2002 10:56 am

Here's one, it's a little crude but humerous:
http://www.toonedin.com/movies/WhiteTrashXmas.html

It takes a while to load.

Wally Giffin · Post by **Wally Giffin** » 11 Dec 2002 2:46 pm

Within just a few hours of writing my question and submitting it to the forum, I received this email message.

“At the Country Legends Association, we believe the time has come to put things right
in our industry. One person complaining solves nothing. Until we all organize and
pull together and speak as one voice, the status quo will remain the same. That's
where the petition you are about to read comes in. It is a vehicle for ALL of our
voices to be heard. And this time, they'll be heard where it counts. The United
States District Court will receive this petition, including all of the signatures and
comments, when our class action lawsuit is filed to force compliance with the law of
the land. We have more than enough documented evidence to prove our allegations of monopolization, age and small business discrimination, and failure to pay royalties
contractually required by law. The entities that will be named in the lawsuit have
had a free ride for far too long. It is time for the fans, songwriters, artists and
performers to rise up as one and make their collective voices heard in one final,
crashing crescendo that cannot be ignored! You can be a part of the solution right
now, today, by adding your signature and comments.
Rick Ralston, Executive Director
The Country Legends Association

As owner and operator of "My Kind of Country" and a board member of the Country
Legends Association, I support this petition and ask all of you, whether you're a fan
or in the industry, to show your support for the artists. There isn't one country
artist out there, Indie or Star, who hasn't paid their dues, literally and
figuratively. It's high time the industry paid their long overdue fees to the
artists.

Please sign this petition and show the artists they aren't alone in their quest for
equal and fair treatment.
Thank you,
Marli
My Kind of Country
http://www.petitiononline.com/j00224/petition.html

A PETITION TO STOP MONOPOLIZATION OF RADIO AIRPLAY BY THE MAJOR RECORD LABLES AND RADIO NETWORKS , AND TO FORCE BMI TO PAY UNPAID ROYALTIES

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A PETITION TO STOP THE MONOPOLIZATION OF RADIO AIRPLAY BY THE MAJOR RECORD LABELS AND RADIO NETWORKS, AND TO FORCE BMI TO PAY UNPAID ROYALTIES

Because the major record labels, and several large radio network conglomerates completely control which artists receive radio airplay for their product, thus restricting airplay to only the artists who are signed to major record labels, Independent Recording Artists find it very difficult if not impossible to book lucrative concert dates and successfully market their product, even though that product is just as viable and commercial as that put out by the major artists.

Additionally, Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) is failing to pay most if not all Independent Artists performance and airplay royalties that are contractually required by law, reducing their income to a fraction of what it should be. BMI must be forced to account for, and pay, all monies owed to all artists entitled to that compensation.

Therefore we make this legal petition to the courts of this land and plead that they take appropriate action to grant Independent Artists their GOD given right to write, record, and perform their music as their desire and talent allow. This is the constitutionally guaranteed right of every American, and monopolies are a violation of the law of this land.

We also make this petition based on the facts that we have been the victims of age discrimination, and discriminated against as small business operators. It is a printed fact that many Country Music Legends, as well as other older artists, have been discriminated against based on their age alone.

We call for the courts to hear these matters with trial by jury, and then act accordingly to force the defendants in these actions to cease and desist their discriminatory activities and practices.

After reading this petition, please add your signature if you agree with us that it is long past time to right these wrongs. Then pass it along to everyone you know who agrees with you. Please accept the heartfelt thanks of the Country Legends Association for your support of our Country Legends, as well as up and coming Classic/Traditional Country Artists. It’s all about Fan Demand for Classic Country Music.

Your Friend In Country Music,

Joe Berry
Sincerely,
The Undersigned

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So, the position stated in the above petition may be the crux of the matter. The major record labels have all the clout. If a new singer doesn’t have a tight butt and wear a ten gallon hat or show their belly button, they won’t have anything to do with them. There are very few stars in today’s country music field. Stars want an honest and fair cut out of the pie and the record companies and their partners can make much more money by USING young inexperienced talent. If they allow these folks to become stars, they have too much clout and make way too much money, just like us musicians at fifty bucks a night.☺
They can get a young person (same voice, same tone—just a different face) and make a million bucks for just one or two albums and that young person will realize only a very small portion of the profits. Then they go grab the next one and kick the original newby out the door. We’re done with you and you’re too old hat now.
I have felt for some time now that there are some twenty somethings making the decisions about what we want to hear and those folks, IMO, don’t have a clue about “Country Music” no matter how you look at it or what perspective you come from except for making money.
I feel that if they were to take any one of a dozen stars, such as Merle, or George and let them record and PLAY, on the air, a good old shuffle, that the studios would have their ears blown out by folks demanding more of that type of music. Look what LeAnn did with “Blue”. But did they follow up on it. Hell no. Apparently, they thought it was some kind of fluke. See the interview with my wife on www.blackriverfallsband.com and read what happened when she sang “Blue” in a local club two weeks after it first came out.
For you that remember the payola days—maybe there should be an investigation of the radio stations again.
Do any of you remember when Jeff Newman got several excellent steel pickers together to do an instrumental tape? We all tried to get the stations to play it but to no avail. Something is drastically wrong and should be corrected.
So thanks for all of your answers. I hesitated to ask the question on a forum that is mainly dedicated to “Country Music” because of the obvious prejudice in favor of it, but look at the different ideas of “What Country Music Is”. There is not any agreement of what the term means, even amongst “Country Music” lovers.
I think maybe I will just stick with my bands name of “Black River Falls Band” and try to take the word “Country” out of my promos.

Wally Giffin
Northwest Pedal Steel Jam. There still may be another one.
Carter D-10 w 9-7 And YES I still love my CARTER.
Session 400 w both mods
Profex

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 11 Dec 2002 9:02 pm

Maybe we should ask a Amish person what real country music is. They live a country life more than most of us. People change,we all do but we are still the same person. Still go by the same name-- so country music has changed, I like Some country from yesterday,today and , tomorrow . ( She Thinks My tractor's sexy. Now tell me thats not country. Joe

Gregg Galbraith · Post by **Gregg Galbraith** » 12 Dec 2002 5:07 pm

Not to appear to be racist, but after just listening to the Bill Phillips album that includes"You're Known by the Company You Keep",and now listening to Ray Price's "Night Life" album,I feel that the era of country music that I most closely identify with can be simply defined as "White Man's Blues!"

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 12 Dec 2002 8:40 pm

I agree with my husband, but I must say I identify with lyric's of today also. It's being in the moment and it's all subjective to what Country is. Just being a women in a man's world.