The Editorials

Consolidated Country

Written by Jeff Krasky

Editors Note: This editorial was written awhile ago and some of the events in it are no longer current. It was originally an article I published on Kickin' Country Magazine. However I still feel the basis of the editorial is very relevant. Enjoy!

Those of you who are not in constant contact with the country music industry might not be aware of the fact that the Universal Music Group has made the decision to close Decca Records. At first this might not sound like a big deal. Record labels come and go. Rarely, though, does a label with the financial backing of a Decca Records shut its doors. It is even more odd that this is the second label under the Universal Music Group to have the plug pulled on it in recent memory. How many of you remember Rising Tide Records? It was the home of artists like Matraca Berg, The Buffalo Club, and Kris Tyler before it abruptly shut down. The closing of the record labels is a troubling issue made even worse when you stop and think about what the record labels stood for. Both of these labels were homes for unique artists with sounds that weren't necessarily mainstream. In fact, it almost seems as though we're being sent a message: Listen to what we want you to listen to, or we will simply shut down all your alternatives.

Gary Allan, Mark Chesnutt, and Lee Ann Womack are the three artists who will survive the closing of Decca. They will be moved over to MCA Records, another branch of Universal. The artists who are out of luck include Rhett Akins, Chris Knight, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Danni Leigh, Shane Stockton, and Dolly Parton. Speaking of Dolly, anyone remember her short stint at Rising Tide before moving over to Decca when the label closed? Well now, right after the release of her new album Universal dumps her completely. It's truly a shame.

Unfortunately, Universal isn't done yet. Seagrams (the parent company of Universal) recently bought Polygram Records which includes the powerhouse label Mercury. The cuts are already taking place on that label. Newcomer Jenny Simpson lost the label shortly after the launch of her debut release. John Anderson and Rodney Carrington are also out of luck.

What kind of message is this sending to the country music listener? Simple. The industry doesn't want to give you much of a choice about what you get to listen to. They want to slim down their record labels to a few high selling artists (many of which get to that point solely off of huge promotional campaigns) and leave artists who don't fit right into mainstream country-pop in the dust. The record labels are basically trying to kill off any chance people have of listening to material that doesn't meet the industries standard of what country music should be. They are doing a pretty damn good job. If you want to hear alternative country (it's sick that we have to name them that) or traditional country start looking for independent labels to bring it to you.

I'm not against the new country sound. I think that change is inevitable in any genre of music. Just look what happened to rock when it moved from the 80s to the 90s. Things change and people have to change with them. But I also think there is room in country music for all kinds of sounds. It's obvious that people want to hear it. You would think if the record labels and the music industry in general hadn't lost all intelligent thought in the quest to make more money they would provide fans with a combination of modern and traditional sounds. It would solve many of the industry problems. Every fan could hear the music they wanted to hear and not have to go out of their way to find it. I personally love music by Garth Brooks and dozens of other modern day country artists but I also search high and low for a good dose of traditional or alternative country (my current favorite is Heather Myles' Highways And Honky Tonks).

If record labels are willing to make the change and push the radio market to do the same the benefits would be well worth the effort. You'd see all the people that left country music to listen to their old albums come back. You'd also see people come in from the pop market giving the industry more listeners. You would also see an industry where artist creativity is valued over the mindless production of the same sound over and over again. Who knows, maybe I'm dreaming.

For now if you're looking for some great traditional and alternative offerings look towards the independent labels. Two of my personal favorites are Little Dog Records, who are responsible for the return of Joy Lynn White and Rounder Records who always seems to have a high level of taste when they select the artists they sign. It's funny how the records coming from these labels tend to garner massive critical acclaim while the material coming from the larger labels is normally given an average rating at best.

There is no doubting the trouble the country music industry is in. Unfortunately, country music turned into a business game more than an industry content with turning out great music. Somewhere along the line they lost the true essence of what made country music so great. It has never been about who's making the most money but who was turning out the next great tune. Not the case anymore. It's who can make the most money and record the next multi-platinum release. Regardless of the quality of the offering. Hopefully this trend will change soon because it's killing country music.

Only time will tell.

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