.indulgecountry
Diamond Member
Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Aug 3, 2015 23:12:42 GMT -5
I really am stunned by the poor showing for this on adds date. She's on a big label, she's proven that she has a big fanbase already and oodles of critical acclaim, and this really doesn't sound outside the norms of what radio would be expected to play. Like, this is genuinely radio-friendly and should appeal fairly well to the masses of the country radio audience the way a song like "Give Me Back My Hometown" did. So there's really no reason why this is getting the cold shoulder. I hope that the label really pushes this though and this can still turn into a slow-building hit, because there's just no excuse why this shouldn't be a hit and Kacey can't be played on radio. You'd think she sent "Are You Sure?" to radio or something.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2015 1:24:16 GMT -5
Agree with the logic behind not playing this or not, I think it's pretty clear that country radio is targeting a different demographic than the listeners Kacey Musgraves appeals to. Therefore, no matter how great her single and album sales get, I doubt radio will ever give her a Top 30 single again unless she goes for less traditional instrumentation and production. I'm sure programmers realize Kacey has a big fan base, but perhaps they suspect most of her fans don't listen to country radio and wouldn't be convinced to do so simply by the chance of hearing one or two traditional songs they like amidst a sea of pop country.
Country radio really is going through an identity crisis right now. There's just a mix of different styles being released and it seems radio programmers to some extent aren't really sure what to play. Some are saying bro-country is no longer popular and that's why ratings are going down; others are saying ratings are going down because there's not enough bro-country. Some people think there's a bigger potential audience of traditional listeners; others think country radio has more potential for high ratings by winning back the 18-34 demo that has been moving over to pop radio recently. It's really not as cut and dried as assuming that Kacey Musgraves and other traditionalists have the biggest audience because they sell the most albums, though. The younger listeners' support for the music they like is more dispersed through streaming, single sales, and maybe to some extent album and concert ticket sales. I guess each radio station needs to survey its individual market to determine where most of the potential country radio listeners fall on the "spectrum" and target whatever demographic the majority of their potential listeners tend to fall under.
I do think there's a place for Kacey on country radio, even if this single doesn't do much chart-wise. I guess in a perfect world there would be two different country formats and two different charts, Pop Country and Classic Country. Sam Hunt, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, etc. would continue to release their modern version of country to Pop Country radio, while artists like Alan Jackson and Kacey Musgraves would prosper on Classic Country stations and moderate artists like Dierks Bentley could release their music to both formats. Maybe such a split will come soon, and then it'll be easier to compare which type of music is more popular by comparing ratings for the two different formats. I think the Nash Icons brand launched by Big Machine and Cumulus provides perhaps a groundwork for such a split to come soon, although we've yet to see a label besides Big Machine warm up to this idea of a separate format for the traditional-leaning artists. Additionally, I do worry that Nash Icons has an agenda revolving less around providing a "safe haven" for artists too traditional for mainstream radio and more around giving artists who are considered too old or "not cool enough" for modern radio a chance to promote their records with music that is still pretty modern sounding. (So far, the singles from Reba and Ronnie Dunn have actually sounded pretty modern and had a bit of a rock edge. I don't see these mixing well with classic country songs on the radio.)
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kanimal
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Post by kanimal on Aug 4, 2015 11:35:33 GMT -5
While I don't quite agree with the alleged relevance of her album sales figure, I agree with the disappointment over the adds count.
To me, this song felt like a "safe" way to play Kacey Musgraves. It's a legitimately radio-friendly effort (maybe not as much a Blake Shelton song, but it's certainly more radio-friendly than what most of the critically acclaimed women release), and it doesn't possess nearly as much of the snark, judgment or negativity for which she's become known (and perhaps disliked).
In a sense, it thus seemed analogous to Kelsea Ballerini's "Love Me Like You Mean It" and "Dibs." They're bro-country songs, and thus offer radio an easy way to play a female artist (and thus prove that they're not biased against women).
"Dimestore Cowgirl" was a way to prove that the opposition to Kacey Musgraves was due to the sound or content of her previous efforts rather than due to Musgraves herself. If they won't turn this into at least a moderate hit, it's clear that they just don't like her.
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zjames
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Post by zjames on Aug 4, 2015 11:43:07 GMT -5
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slowmo
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Post by slowmo on Aug 4, 2015 12:08:42 GMT -5
just kidding, took too long reading the article before posting and was beaten to it. ha
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.indulgecountry
Diamond Member
Best Country Poster 2011, 2017, & 2018
"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Aug 4, 2015 12:15:28 GMT -5
In a sense, it thus seemed analogous to Kelsea Ballerini's "Love Me Like You Mean It" and "Dibs." They're bro-country songs, and thus offer radio an easy way to play a female artist (and thus prove that they're not biased against women). Those are not bro-country songs, lmao. For one, they aren't sung by a male, but lyrically and musically they avoid the bro-country tropes and crass objectification of women. Poppy and radio-friendly they are; bro-country they aren't. People just really don't even know what to do with this term anymore it seems; one minute I see "bro-country is dead, it's not even on the charts anymore" comments and the next I see "Kelsea Ballerini is bro-country."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2015 12:41:06 GMT -5
As much as I like "Dine Store Cowgirl," I'm not at all surprised radio's response hasn't been great.
Kacey faces so many battles with her more traditional sound and forget the fact that she's female.
A female singing traditional Country music is pretty much DOA at radio these days.
If this can't get Kacey some radio spins, though, this also means she'll probably have an uphill battle with this album, and she'll have to rely on fans/industry support to get the support she needs.
While that's not inherently a bad thing (I respect Kacey for handling her career her own way), it's also frustrating and sad that a talented female artist with a supportive fanbase faces a battle like this because she won't play games.
I wish it wasn't like this for any female. :'(
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dm2081
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Post by dm2081 on Aug 4, 2015 12:50:35 GMT -5
Honestly, I've given up on Kacey ever having a big hit on Country radio again. I try not to get frustrated anymore watching her chart position (even though I admit it's tough) and I'm just going to enjoy her album on my own. Luckily she has so much critical press that she should never be in danger of getting dropped by her label. Maybe she can have a breakthrough hit every here and there, but I would rather she never changes her sound just to conform to radio. If this song has any success I'll be happy, and if it doesn't I won't let it bother me anymore.
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Post by countrygirl918 on Aug 4, 2015 13:46:11 GMT -5
Obviously there are a myriad of factors as to why country radio won't play Kacey, but I think it mainly boils down to this: she won't kiss their ass, as evidenced in that new Spin article (among others).
She ain't changing who she is to suit country radio's trends, and thank God for that.
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14887fan
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Post by 14887fan on Aug 4, 2015 17:51:10 GMT -5
Even if this does nothing, I'm happy it was released. Her commercial performance can flounder forever; she'll still win Grammys and post strong sales. She's not losing anything with Country radio's cold shoulder, because her fanbase had already been built outside of that system in the first place. She's touring well, selling, and consistently receiving praise from her contemporaries. With awards season not too far around the corner, I have no doubt she'll get more publicity from the CMAs and Grammys.
Having said that, I still think "Fine" could be as big as "Merry Go Round" was. It's fresh enough to fit in with songs on radio like Eric Church's "Like A Wrecking Ball" and even Maddie & Tae's "Fly", but it's still rootsy, beautiful, and in the top tier of the best songs she's ever cut on record. The lyrics are mesmerizing. An October release would be ideal. Its melancholy broodiness would be an ideal sound for fall music on Country radio.
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zjames
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Post by zjames on Aug 4, 2015 19:30:23 GMT -5
^ "Fine" is my favorite song on the album, but if "Dime Store Cowgirl" doesn't succeed at radio I don't see why "Fine" would.
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ant
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Post by ant on Aug 4, 2015 20:31:45 GMT -5
Some artwork for the single. Not sure if either is the official single art, but both are nice (I prefer the first). I would've liked it if they could've made "Dime Store" two separate words like it should be.
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jesster
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Post by jesster on Aug 4, 2015 21:07:44 GMT -5
I have a lot of trouble envisioning this on the radio. It doesn't really have a lot of relatable melody, it's a bit sing-song-y, and the lyrics are a little cute in ways that are hard to relate to. IMO.
Melodically her earlier singles were a lot stronger for me even if sometimes the lyrical content felt repetitive.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2015 21:31:35 GMT -5
While I'm unhappy that radio hasn't really warmed up to this, I'm also really not that surprised. Was I hoping for 30+ adds? Sure. But here's the thing (and I touched on this earlier in this thread)...Kacey Musgraves is really the only major label artist that doesn't play the 'radio game'. She went on a radio tour prior to "Merry Go 'Round", but now that she's somewhat established herself and made a name for herself, she doesn't feel the need to establish contrived "friendships" with radio PD's just to get airplay. And radio doesn't like that. I say boo hoo to them and good for Kacey...but unfortunately what it means is that they are less likely to play her music because she's not out there kissing up to them like every other new/newer artist.
A lot of the big stars (Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood, etc.) don't exactly go out on radio tours anymore but they still hang out with radio PD's/staffers whenever they're in town, or they'll invite the radio folks to hang out either before or after a concert.
I believe that this is what Kacey is singing about in "Good Ol' Boys Club":
I don't need a membership to validate The hard work I put in and the dues I paid Never been too good at just goin' along I guess I've always kind of been for the underdog
Favors for friends will get you in and get you far Shouldn't be about who it is you know But about how good you are
Don't wanna be a part of the good ol' boys club Cigars and handshakes, appreciate you but no thanks Another gear in a big machine don't sound like fun to me Don't wanna be a part of the good ol' boys club
I think radio gets crabby and just assumes that Kacey doesn't like them, and as a result it seems to me that they're kind of holding a grudge against her. I don't think that's how Kacey actually feels at all. I don't think it's that she dislikes radio staffers -- I just think she's being straightforward when she says [paraphrasing] "you know, it really should be about the quality of the music and not about which artist logs the most hours hanging with influential radio people". All that does is make it a big competition to see who can kiss up to radio the most.
And the way I see it, Kacey is absolutely right. In a perfect world it would be about the quality of the music, but unfortunately the country music industry of today (especially country radio) is far from perfect.
I certainly don't think there's anything wrong if artists do form genuine friendships with radio people...but I do think it's unfair that radio basically requires artists (especially newer ones) to go on radio tours if they want to get airplay.
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Post by defying gravity on Aug 7, 2015 10:30:51 GMT -5
If the radio seriously isn't going to embrace this song, shame on them. It's funny how radio tries to "help" newer female artists by giving them lots of airplay on their debut single ("Merry Go 'Round"), but once they release more music, the radio shows no support whatsoever. Hopefully this song will at least make the top 40.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2015 11:19:54 GMT -5
I remember awhile ago when Kacey got into that Twitter tiff with Bobby Bones, and he insinuated she was a bit cold/doesn't kiss up to anyone.
I remember that Kacey just agreed with him and went on with it. IMO, that kind of behavior would suggest that she's used to people calling her cold, unfriendly, or things of that nature, which may not be true at all. Some people just don't enjoy having to constantly humor/entertain people, and I'm sure that comes off as a bit uppity in the radio world. Once artists are in the industry, unfortunately, the very early impressions are the ones that tend to stick, and word of mouth (through interactions with others), can really make or break you in terms of likeability.
That aside, though, I never got the impression Kacey had the desire to be a huge star, anyway. That requires lots of schmoozing, radio tours, interviews, performances, etc. and Kacey seems to be perfectly content where she is.
Frequent radio play usually results in a bigger profile, but, more often than not, artists tend to lose a lot of their artistic freedom and deal with increased demands from their labels as the success comes in.
So, for someone in Kacey's position, I see her as being better of without all the pressure and demands that would likely be required if she were to become a big star. For someone with her personality and traditional style, she has the best of both worlds, with critical acclaim and success, while being able to keep a lower profile on the business/celebrity side of things.
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Post by StrongerThanTheTruth on Aug 7, 2015 11:53:41 GMT -5
...that kind of behavior would suggest that she's used to people calling her cold, unfriendly, or things of that nature, which may not be true at all.... I met Kacey once and maybe it was just an off night for her but it just seemed like she was going through the motion with people. She became more genuine when she interacted with fans that were handing her manful gifts. She was just different than I was expecting her to be at a personal level. But as for her music. It is everything that is right and good in country music today. Her albums aren't just good singles and then fluff songs to fill space. Both of her major label albums are solid in and out and are in a select category of albums I could play in their entirety without skipping over any tracks.
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layne
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Post by layne on Aug 8, 2015 16:22:41 GMT -5
I've noticed people talking about Kacey not kissing radio's butt etc and that's the reason maybe they don't play her songs. I don't think everyone getting played on radio is kissing butt but I do think any business including the music business is about relationships and being respectful. In the service industry the client/customer is always "right" and businesses go out of their way to please their clients. It's no different in the music industry. Something is clearly wrong with the relationship between Kacey and Radio and I don't think she has to kiss their butt to get played but maybe she's blown them off totally and therefore they feel no reason to play someone that doesn't want a relationship with them.
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rjz
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Post by rjz on Aug 9, 2015 9:51:16 GMT -5
I dont know, why does it seem so many times that with a woman it becomes about them personally? Like-there must be something 'wrong' with her personality, attitude, 'relationship' with radio. I've seen her too in concert and she's been enthusiastic, although I can see where she is more on the reserved side. She isn't the bubbly blonde, America's sweetheart type or the rowdy rebel. She is obviously artistically serious, cares about the music intensely. Yes, she throws a swearword or two out there, but of course it is always different when a female does it vs all the guys. I would have to imagine there are some male artists who aren't always 100% 'on' when one on one with fans-I've heard complaints about them also.
There is most definitely sucking up that goes on and the Buddy, Good ole Boy system in radio-just the pandering of 'radio' mentions being thrown into songs is a tip off. I haven't heard any incidents where she isn't polite (I think Bobby Bones ego speaks for itself in that incident) and radio SHOULD be about the client/customer-who is the listener and advertisers-not the radio staff.
It would be shocking if radio did like her, honestly. They won't play popular, friendly, the girl next door female figures like Kellie Pickler so why would they play an independent, speak her mind and cover controversial lyrical topics singer like Kacey Musgraves? Both of them are traditional leaning (Kacey especially) females-not the music loving demographic radio is trying to attract these days. I highly doubt if she was an extroverted, non-rebel, fawning over radio personalities type she would get more play despite what she puts out. Perhaps in days past when traditional did receive more play and the radio wasn't so clogged with out and out pop and R&B....and a smattering of Bro still.
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ant
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Post by ant on Aug 9, 2015 10:19:30 GMT -5
I dont know, why does it seem so many times that with a woman it becomes about them personally? Like-there must be something 'wrong' with her personality, attitude, 'relationship' with radio. I've seen her too in concert and she's been enthusiastic, although I can see where she is more on the reserved side. She isn't the bubbly blonde, America's sweetheart type or the rowdy rebel. She is obviously artistically serious, cares about the music intensely. Yes, she throws a swearword or two out there, but of course it is always different when a female does it vs all the guys. I would have to imagine there are some male artists who aren't always 100% 'on' when one on one with fans-I've heard complaints about them also. There is most definitely sucking up that goes on and the Buddy, Good ole Boy system in radio-just the pandering of 'radio' mentions being thrown into songs is a tip off. I haven't heard any incidents where she isn't polite (I think Bobby Bones ego speaks for itself in that incident) and radio SHOULD be about the client/customer-who is the listener and advertisers-not the radio staff. It would be shocking if radio did like her, honestly. They won't play popular, friendly, the girl next door female figures like Kellie Pickler so why would they play an independent, speak her mind and cover controversial lyrical topics singer like Kacey Musgraves? Both of them are traditional leaning (Kacey especially) females-not the music loving demographic radio is trying to attract these days. I highly doubt if she was an extroverted, non-rebel, fawning over radio personalities type she would get more play despite what she puts out. Perhaps in days past when traditional did receive more play and the radio wasn't so clogged with out and out pop and R&B....and a smattering of Bro still. I LOVE Kacey and I'm a huge fan, but I will say in regards to her swearing that sometimes it comes across as her just doing it for the sake of doing it. In other words, it's not really necessary that she uses swear words, but she does it just to prove that she doesn't care what people think and that she's "different" than other females in the genre. I was at her show last month, and she used a swear word or two and I just didn't think it was necessary especially since there were some younger kids in the audience. Trust me, I'm no prude and I curse like a truck drive myself lol, but I just wish she would cuss in more appropriate contexts.
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rjz
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Post by rjz on Aug 9, 2015 11:35:33 GMT -5
I dont know, why does it seem so many times that with a woman it becomes about them personally? Like-there must be something 'wrong' with her personality, attitude, 'relationship' with radio. I've seen her too in concert and she's been enthusiastic, although I can see where she is more on the reserved side. She isn't the bubbly blonde, America's sweetheart type or the rowdy rebel. She is obviously artistically serious, cares about the music intensely. Yes, she throws a swearword or two out there, but of course it is always different when a female does it vs all the guys. I would have to imagine there are some male artists who aren't always 100% 'on' when one on one with fans-I've heard complaints about them also. There is most definitely sucking up that goes on and the Buddy, Good ole Boy system in radio-just the pandering of 'radio' mentions being thrown into songs is a tip off. I haven't heard any incidents where she isn't polite (I think Bobby Bones ego speaks for itself in that incident) and radio SHOULD be about the client/customer-who is the listener and advertisers-not the radio staff. It would be shocking if radio did like her, honestly. They won't play popular, friendly, the girl next door female figures like Kellie Pickler so why would they play an independent, speak her mind and cover controversial lyrical topics singer like Kacey Musgraves? Both of them are traditional leaning (Kacey especially) females-not the music loving demographic radio is trying to attract these days. I highly doubt if she was an extroverted, non-rebel, fawning over radio personalities type she would get more play despite what she puts out. Perhaps in days past when traditional did receive more play and the radio wasn't so clogged with out and out pop and R&B....and a smattering of Bro still. I LOVE Kacey and I'm a huge fan, but I will say in regards to her swearing that sometimes it comes across as her just doing it for the sake of doing it. In other words, it's not really necessary that she uses swear words, but she does it just to prove that she doesn't care what people think and that she's "different" than other females in the genre. I was at her show last month, and she used a swear word or two and I just didn't think it was necessary especially since there were some younger kids in the audience. Trust me, I'm no prude and I curse like a truck drive myself lol, but I just wish she would cuss in more appropriate contexts. You have a good point for people who are offended by swearing. I guess in my book, I think an adult (one that is not advertised toward children) concert is a place I might expect to hear swearing.......and have quite a few times :) Agreed; swearing for the sake of being a rebel seems contrived; although we don't truly know the motivation behind one's use of words. It can be painful to see so frequently on social media, for example. I have not heard Kacey use profanity to excess in my opinion (especially compared to some male stars), even in concert but I'm sure it varies with your perspective. As far as using swearing to 'create an image' sometimes it can be used for the greater good (yes, this is off topic)-my son counsels extremely troubled youth (institutionalized involuntarily) and he said that all the counselors routinely periodically throw in a swear word-it allows them to seem more laid back, the kids relax and this allows them to open up more to the adult authority figure. I think some musical artists do this to seem more down to earth to their audience and 'one of them' and not to prove they are a rebel. I had the impression Miranda Lambert has let loose a swear word or two during her shows?
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someguy
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Post by someguy on Aug 13, 2015 1:11:01 GMT -5
Even though I wasn't expecting all that much, I have to admit that I'm a little surprised that this hasn't at least charted. I still have hope that it will, but a few more adds would be really nice right about now.
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jesster
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Post by jesster on Aug 17, 2015 21:12:45 GMT -5
Not even one add for this today?
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Post by The Brazilian Guy π§π· on Aug 18, 2015 7:34:48 GMT -5
This getting ignored by radio is just so depressing =S
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carriekins
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Post by carriekins on Aug 18, 2015 7:37:16 GMT -5
But hey! The Highway is playing Family is Family, so that totally makes up for it. #sarcasmfont
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ant
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Post by ant on Aug 18, 2015 7:44:15 GMT -5
The fact that this isn't charting is disgusting. My Mom, who enjoys the more contemporary stuff and isn't a big fan of traditional country was singing along to this in the car the other day when I played the album for her. Even my friends who don't like traditional stuff enjoy this. So I definitely think current radio listeners would enjoy it.
F**k radio.
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fearlessarrow
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Post by fearlessarrow on Aug 18, 2015 8:27:36 GMT -5
I agree with many posters here that the fact that this is not getting played on country radio is just infuriating. Even "Follow Your Arrow" made it to #43 on Billboard country...
I still think this will at least chart though.
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dm2081
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Post by dm2081 on Aug 18, 2015 8:41:39 GMT -5
It's quite evident that radio has blacklisted Kacey, and I don't expect her to have another hit unless she starts kissing some asses.
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Post by The Brazilian Guy π§π· on Aug 18, 2015 11:40:00 GMT -5
The fact that this isn't charting is disgusting. My Mom, who enjoys the more contemporary stuff and isn't a big fan of traditional country was singing along to this in the car the other day when I played the album for her. Even my friends who don't like traditional stuff enjoy this. So I definitely think current radio listeners would enjoy it. F**k radio. ... and it's not even like this is really traditional. It almost feels like this is deliberate... like, it doesn't have anything to do with the song but with Kacey herself.
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ant
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Post by ant on Aug 18, 2015 18:52:44 GMT -5
The fact that this isn't charting is disgusting. My Mom, who enjoys the more contemporary stuff and isn't a big fan of traditional country was singing along to this in the car the other day when I played the album for her. Even my friends who don't like traditional stuff enjoy this. So I definitely think current radio listeners would enjoy it. F**k radio. ... and it's not even like this is really traditional. It almost feels like this is deliberate... like, it doesn't have anything to do with the song but with Kacey herself. Exactly. It's not too traditional, but definitely more along the lines of actual country than most of what radio is playing today. Kacey should really be up there with Carrie and Miranda, and it really frustrates me that she isn't.
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