Country Music Blog Rodeo: Remember When Country Wasn’t So Cool?

I remember when country wasn’t considered so cool. In fact, I was one of them that couldn’t listen to “that twangy stuff”. Obviously, I’ve come to love the genre now, but even I didn’t always think it was so cool.

Country music has always been a genre full of greats songs and artists who are deemed a little more approachable than say your average rock star, but it hasn’t always appealed to the masses. What is it that has changed recently that country music seems to be appealing more to the mainstream and more people are being drawn into this genre? In my opinion, two main things are factoring into it.

The main reason I think that country music is appealing to the mainstream is because of tv. It has glamorized the genre. It is no longer thought to be “hillbilly music”. Let’s face it, country music has had to overcome the stigma of being known simply as “hillybilly music” by many people on the east coast and northern states. People that otherwise would have turned their noses up to country music are now being exposed to it all over tv because of shows like ‘American Idol’, ‘The Voice’, ‘The X Factor’, ‘The Bachelor’, ‘The Bachelorette’, ‘Dancing With The Stars’, ‘Hart Of Dixie’, ‘Malibu Country’, ‘CSI’, and I’m sure there are a few others I’m missing. Basically, country music is everywhere on the tv networks these days. Most notably, is the new hit tv series ‘Nashville’ that not only features country music, but gives the viewer a dramatized, glamorized, and pretty accurate depiction of the country music industry. The constant exposure on network tv each week is creating this mainstream appeal and acceptance.

The second big reason that I think country music is appealing more to the mainstream is because of artists like Taylor Swift, Hunter Hayes, and Scotty McCreery. There are many more, but those are the 3 big ones that have grown large fan bases in a short amount of time. Each of these artists are bringing in younger audiences. Let’s face it, as country music appeals to younger audiences, these younger audiences dictate the trends, and with trends you have more mainstream acceptance.

Check out these other articles in the Blog Rodeo!

Blog Rodeo Roundup: See What Everyone Else Is Saying!

CMchatLive: “Insight from Country Stars like Scotty McCreery, Sunny Sweeney, Tracy Lawrence and more!”
Urban Country News : “Why Country Music Is Like the Zombie Apocalypse“, “A Love Affair For The Ages”
For The Country Record: “TV and Nashille: It’s Merits and Implications for Country Music”
UKCountryMusic: “Is Country Music About To Be Mainstream In The UK?”
Country Music Tattle Tale: “For The Love of Country Music”
Country Music Pride: “Country Music Has A Little Something For Everyone, Traditional, Pop, Americana and More”
Keepin’ It Country Blog: “Everyone Loves Country Music”
Country Music News Blog: “The Mainstream Has Fallen For Country and I Am The Mainstream,” “The Mainstream Adopts Country Music,” “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool“