Zac Brown To Luke Bryan: Your Song Sucks!

But he believes it's the current radio landscape that's to blame for the success of Luke's hit song "That's My Kind Of Night."
http://theboot.com/zac-brown-luke-bryan-worst-song-ive-ever-heard/

Zac Brown (of Zac Brown Band) Highly Critical of Current Country Music

Zac pulls no punches in the article linked below. He makes it clear that he considers much of the recent country music to be mediocre pop that is filled with clichés. He states that many of the current hits were written by the same few people.
In the same article, country singer Gary Allan offers similar criticisms. He blames in part the large radio chains such as Clear Channel and Cumulus.

Two Country Stars Unhappy With the Direction the Genre is Taking: http://www.countrymusicislove.com/c...ress-distaste-for-contemporary-country-music/

Go here to see an actual clip of Gary's chat.

I also saw this Face Book message from Ronnie Dunn being talked about at another message forum that I look at every day.

Dear Radio,

I asked one of the leading consultants in your business for advice when I finished the new cd. The consultant said, "first, get off of Facebook." You're pissing radio off and it's a small community of tight knit folks.
I won't stop telling the truth. That truth effects ALL of us.
Radio isn't bad, most of the people in radio are good, hard working folks. There are corrupt players, there are huge egos but the same applies to the music biz.

Radio, as a whole got too big and took on too much debt.
Labels fought too long to hold onto the profit margin assigned to cds and were simply dragged under.
There isn't a single LARGE player that isn't working under a tremendous debt burden.
Internet, streaming radio is the future. It may work. It may not.
It will, by most standards take over sooner than later.
How does that pertain to your job security and who's music is played and how ? Who knows.
A good friend in radio told me recently that, "radio is not going away, it just might not be in the music business".
Not even Bob Pittman knows....he was handed a sow's ear and asked to make a silk suit.

God bless you and him and Gary and Zac Brown always!!!

Holly

A new layer has been added to this issue. Go here to read all about it!

God bless you always!!!

Holly

Funny how they blame radio, and not the fans. Radio can't make a song a hit unless the fans like it. This particular song is getting heavy airplay at ALL country stations, not just the two biggest owners. I think these singers need to stick with what they know. We don't tell them how to sing.

James Otto Sweet Heart said:

There isn't a single LARGE player that isn't working under a tremendous debt burden.
Internet, streaming radio is the future.

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The bad news is that internet radio players, like Spotify and Pandora, have ALSO taken on tremendous debt. And making it worse is the huge royalty payments that go to labels and artists. More than 50% of revenues (not profits). It will be impossible for internet radio to pay off their debts when more than half of their revenues are going to royalty payments.

Luke Bryan: "put in my country hip-hop mix tape, a little Conway little T-Pain"...WRONG! Bad move Luke, this is a horrible song. And I agree with Zac Brown - it sucks and tries to please the country"politan" teenyboppers. Country music is turning into Top 40 crap, except there's southern twang in it. Look at Florida Georgia Line and how they HAD to put a rapper in their country song "Cruise". Another bad move, FGL. Should have stayed country and not crossed over to Hot AC and Top 40.

-crainbebo

crainbebo said:

Another bad move, FGL. Should have stayed country and not crossed over to Hot AC and Top 40.

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Bad move? It's the biggest hit of the decade! I'm sure they have no regrets.

You don't like it? Don't blame radio. Blame your fellow music fans. They're the ones driving this trend. If it wasn't popular, the artists wouldn't be doing it, and radio wouldn't be playing it.

^^^ You do realize that the current decade isn't even close to being over right?

God bless you always!!!

Holly

TheBigA said:

Funny how they blame radio, and not the fans. Radio can't make a song a hit unless the fans like it. This particular song is getting heavy airplay at ALL country stations, not just the two biggest owners. I think these singers need to stick with what they know. We don't tell them how to sing.

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Really? I would say even Clear Channel disagrees with you or they wouldn't have included special airplay for Warner Music Group artists as part of their massive partnership. That is not what the listeners want, that is what Clear Channel and the labels want. I have absolutely no impact on what Clear Channel plays in my market. They syndicate/voice-track everything. They play what they want. They tell us, the listeners, what will and will not be a radio hit by controlling what songs are on the radio, when they will be played, and how often. Other stations outside Clear Channel simply follow along.

I have some thoughts on this subject.....Back in the late 80's/early 90's, when Randy Travis, Keith Whitley, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Mark Chesnutt, etc. first arrived on the scene, they had been influenced by predominantly 70's country and the adult contemporary singers and songwriters such as James Taylor, Paul Simon, Dan Fogelberg, Carole King, etc.......and it made for some great neo-traditional country music.

Fast-forward to today.....the vast majority of today's so-called country artists, when asked who their influences are, list Aerosmith, Poison, Guns 'n Roses, Tom Petty, etc. with maybe a few occasionally throwing Garth Brooks or George Strait in there for good measure. As far as I know only Blake Shelton and Kenny Chesney cite Conway Twitty as someone who inspired their careers, never Keith Whitley, or Marty Robbins, or Merle Haggard. And it shows in the garbage that is being played on the country radio stations today.

Hope is on the horizon though.....those who grew up on the great stars of the 1985-2000 period are in high school or college, and many of them are toiling away in honky-tonks and nightclubs even as I type this. These so-called radio consultants need to come to Austin, Beaumont, and Fort Worth, TX and take note of the fact that there is an abundance of traditional country sounds coming from the dance clubs and honky tonks down here, and I think another switch toward traditional country is forthcoming in the next 5 years. Easton Corbin, for example, can be safely labeled a traditionalist, and I think the trend will continue, although it might take a "good-looking, buff hunk with a cowboy hat and dressed as if he is about to participate in a rodeo (a Lane Frost or Garth Brooks type) to burst onto the scene, much like Garth did in '89 and '90.

Just hold on, it will cycle back traditional.

Casey said:

They tell us, the listeners, what will and will not be a radio hit by controlling what songs are on the radio, when they will be played, and how often.

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You make it sound like people are mindless robots and like whatever radio plays. That's not been my experience.

vonerichnation2013 said:

I think the trend will continue, although it might take a "good-looking, buff hunk with a cowboy hat and dressed as if he is about to participate in a rodeo (a Lane Frost or Garth Brooks type) to burst onto the scene, much like Garth did in '89 and '90.

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The thing about Garth is that once he became popular, he was attacked endlessly as being a pop star, and critics made a big deal about it when he appeared on a Kiss tribute album, and included them among his influences. Yet to hear his music today, it's far countrier than most of today's hits. He continued to be battered continually by "holier than thou" critics, especially when he released his Chris Gaines album, which was never intended to be an album, but rather a soundtrack for a movie. Ultimately the endless attacks led to him retiring from performing. As one who watched it play out, it reminded me of the Biblical tale of those who were unable to recognize their savior as he walked in their midst. There are many similar tales of great stars who were ultimately destroyed by endless attacks and criticism.

There is always the group that says "if that song/artist were any good, why doesn't the radio play them?"

Six months later, the radio is playing them and the same questioner is suddenly a huge fan of the song/artist.

Som people's behavior/tastes are subject to peer pressure.

I get really tired of self righteous artists like this (Zac Brown), who criticize other artists. Everyone has a different style and so do different listeners. I have little respect for people like this who think their work is do much more artistic and meaningful than others. If it is, then it will speak for itself without the need to be a pompous elitist. The fact is, the mainstream audience has spoken in what direction they want from the newer country artists. If Zac doesn't like that, then let him take his music and recordings elsewhere. He night find he's not as "relevant" and visionary as he believes himself to be.

BRH said:

I get really tired of self righteous artists like this (Zac Brown), who criticize other artists. Everyone has a different style and so do different listeners. I have little respect for people like this who think their work is do much more artistic and meaningful than others. If it is, then it will speak for itself without the need to be a pompous elitist. The fact is, the mainstream audience has spoken in what direction they want from the newer country artists. If Zac doesn't like that, then let him take his music and recordings elsewhere. He night find he's not as "relevant" and visionary as he believes himself to be.

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Why are you so special as to be entitled to an opinion and Zac Brown is not? Sounds a bit pompous and just a tad elitist to me. I like some of Zac Brown, not all. I can say on the other hand that I like almost all of George Jones or George Strait. But I think that the public, listeners if you will, are just looking for something other than the Rap Crap Hippity Hoppity noise played on so many stations today. So let them have something else, not hurting me any so long as there are stations like Joe Mullins' little network in Ohio playing real classic country.

TheBigA said:

You make it sound like people are mindless robots and like whatever radio plays. That's not been my experience.

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It is disingenuous to claim that radio plays no role at all in this. Everyone knows that radio caters to certain highly-prized "demographics," and it is my guess that those who like "hick-hop" are in that highly-coveted "demo." As for the rest of us? We are just SOL!

Article in the Tennessean last weekend about "hick-hop." It was the above-the-fold cover story last weekend. I never really liked "traditional" country. It just wasn't my thing. But I definitely would not like "hick-hop." This just makes me glad that I don't listen to whatever passes for "contemporary" country music these days.

http://blogs.tennessean.com/tunein/2013/09/21/hick-hop-gets-down-and-dirty/

nmoore6676 said:

Why are you so special as to be entitled to an opinion and Zac Brown is not? Sounds a bit pompous and just a tad elitist to me. I like some of Zac Brown, not all. I can say on the other hand that I like almost all of George Jones or George Strait. But I think that the public, listeners if you will, are just looking for something other than the Rap Crap Hippity Hoppity noise played on so many stations today. So let them have something else, not hurting me any so long as there are stations like Joe Mullins' little network in Ohio playing real classic country.

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I have nothing against Zac Brown or his music per se. My problem is when one demeans other artists work without even being prompted. (that's about as far from traditional country "manners" as it comes). It goes back to the old adage, "if you don't have anything nice to say, then say nothing at all".
As far as the "hip hop country" thing, it's just a matter of current tastes. In recent radio ratings, country's largest growth and dominance has been in the younger 18-34 demo. And it's this pop/classic rock influenced style of country that is appealing to them. Also, this is the age group that buys music and attends concerts. Therefore, that's where the format is headed. Anyway, I find it funny that country is the only format where this argument comes up. (I don't here CHR/Top 40 listeners complaining that today's artists don't hold true to the values and sound of pop stars from the 60s/70s, etc. So why is country supposed to be this "hallowed" ground that can't evolve and change with current generation's tastes? Makes no sense to me. (So, Jason Aldean doesn't sound like George Jones. Well, Justin Timberlake doesn't sound like John Lennon either, lol! Trends change and so does the music. As Tracy Lawerence sang, "Time Marches On".

firepoint525 said:

It is disingenuous to claim that radio plays no role at all in this. Everyone knows that radio caters to certain highly-prized "demographics," and it is my guess that those who like "hick-hop" are in that highly-coveted "demo." As for the rest of us? We are just SOL!

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You assume radio only plays "hick hop." It doesn't. The reason country radio is do popular now is because of the variety. That means Zac Brown AND Luke Bryan, not one or the other.

BRH said:

I have nothing against Zac Brown or his music per se. My problem is when one demeans other artists work without even being prompted. (that's about as far from traditional country "manners" as it comes). It goes back to the old adage, "if you don't have anything nice to say, then say nothing at all".

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While it is true that things should be left unsaid if they are not good, sometimes things have to be addressed. To me, what Zac said was like letting a bad smell coming from the back of the football bus be known.

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly