The Country Classics
Worldwide exposure for true country music
In talking with a true country music fan in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, the discussion raised as many questions as it answered. Did you know that some Youtube videos will not play if the viewer in not in the U.S.?
Did you know that some online radio stations cannot be received in certain countries? It is interesting to note that Lars G Lindberg, a DJ in Sweden, plays great country music, but learning more about the music can be difficult. Why is that, and what can we do about it?
Singer/songwriter Levi Coby is in Scotland, and his videos play in the U.S. and some other countries. My friend in Saint John reports that Coby’s videos will not play for her, and she is a fan of his. In talking with Levi Coby, he reports that some fans around the world say videos are “broken”.
When asked if fans receive RFD TV, Dish Network, Sirius Satellite radio, and other venues, many report that services are not available. Others say such services are not in the budget. Some traditional country music fans rely totally on the Internet or are active on Facebook.
While I do not claim to understand licensing and fees, I have travelled extensively and purchased music in other countries. Even so, for years I looked at marketing of classic country music and new traditionalists from a U.S. point of view. Clearly I was wrong.
A long-held principle of The Country Classics is supporting and promoting traditional country music, and our vibrant user community played a big part in advancing this ideal. If traditional country music had a worldwide venue, broadcast on the Internet, radio, and television – all at the same time – listeners could hear music from Iceland, Sweden, America, Australia, and in fact I could list almost every country in the world, but you get the point.
That won’t happen in the near future because of licensing, server costs, laws, formats, restrictions, copyrights, lobbyists, and other roadblocks. It should happen today, but it won’t.
I told our fans that a listener in Barbados was listening to George Jones singing his 1959 hit “No Justice”. How does Arbitron factor that into demographics? Clear they can’t. Perhaps we, as fans of true country music, do not fit the mold, expectations, and demographics. Good for us.
In summarizing, clearly we want our friend in Canada to have access to music, and exposure to new music. We want a great singer in Iceland to be successful everywhere. We want a great singer from Texas to sing and sell music everywhere. We want a star from Australia to be a success everywhere.
While some forms of music never get past the “It’s All About Me” stage, as intelligent fans of true country music we know what we want. How do we make it happen?
Related posts:
- Discover singer songwriter Levi Coby
- Levi Coby and Scott McBurney salute the troops
- RFD True Country Music TV Show from Hamilton Texas
- Australian Statesman Slim Dusty sings Where Country Is
- Discover Je’Ne West and great country music
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