ClydeR
03-25-2015, 10:00 PM
Two stories about country music and politics..
Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz stopped listening to rock and roll and took up country music after 9/11. The 44-year-old Republican Texas senator, who announced he would be running for president this week, recently fielded questions about his personality on CBS This Morning, where he revealed the change in his listening habits.
"Music is interesting," he said. "I grew up listening to classic rock, and I'll tell you sort of an odd story: My music taste changed on 9/11. And it's very strange. I actually intellectually find this very curious. But on 9/11, I didn't like how rock music responded. And country music collectively, the way they responded, it resonated with me.
More... (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/ted-cruz-on-9-11-i-didnt-like-how-rock-music-responded-20150324)
And..
Responding to complaints from listeners who mistakenly believe a song by Little Big Town is about lesbians, country music stations across the country are stopping playing the song. That is highlighting an interesting divergence in the ways people consume country music.
As a result, the song is mired in a difficult climb on the radio charts, and it has ignited a controversy that is symbolic of the fraught state of country radio.
There’s a deep chasm these days between what’s popular on country radio — still the genre’s most powerful platform — and what fans are actually buying: “Girl Crush” is No. 4 on iTunes, but lags at No. 33 in radio rankings. And while country music is seen as more progressive now — with explicit lyrics about sex and casual marijuana use — significant portions of the traditional audience will not tolerate a song that they even wrongly assume is about a same-sex relationship.
More... (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/03/25/why-stations-are-pulling-little-big-towns-girl-crush-from-the-airwaves-and-what-that-says-about-country-radio-today/)
These two stories are closely related.
Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz stopped listening to rock and roll and took up country music after 9/11. The 44-year-old Republican Texas senator, who announced he would be running for president this week, recently fielded questions about his personality on CBS This Morning, where he revealed the change in his listening habits.
"Music is interesting," he said. "I grew up listening to classic rock, and I'll tell you sort of an odd story: My music taste changed on 9/11. And it's very strange. I actually intellectually find this very curious. But on 9/11, I didn't like how rock music responded. And country music collectively, the way they responded, it resonated with me.
More... (http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/ted-cruz-on-9-11-i-didnt-like-how-rock-music-responded-20150324)
And..
Responding to complaints from listeners who mistakenly believe a song by Little Big Town is about lesbians, country music stations across the country are stopping playing the song. That is highlighting an interesting divergence in the ways people consume country music.
As a result, the song is mired in a difficult climb on the radio charts, and it has ignited a controversy that is symbolic of the fraught state of country radio.
There’s a deep chasm these days between what’s popular on country radio — still the genre’s most powerful platform — and what fans are actually buying: “Girl Crush” is No. 4 on iTunes, but lags at No. 33 in radio rankings. And while country music is seen as more progressive now — with explicit lyrics about sex and casual marijuana use — significant portions of the traditional audience will not tolerate a song that they even wrongly assume is about a same-sex relationship.
More... (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/03/25/why-stations-are-pulling-little-big-towns-girl-crush-from-the-airwaves-and-what-that-says-about-country-radio-today/)
These two stories are closely related.