Since its commercial beginnings in the 1920s with tunes “Arkansas Traveller” and “Sallie Gooden,” country music has gone through numerous phases and transformations. You have Western swing and hillbilly boogie, rockabilly and countrypolitan, outlaw country, and finally, pop country. Those are the main eras of country music, and the ones that marked major milestones in the industry’s plus 100-year-old career.
However, with recent additions of Post Malone, Machine Gun Kelly, and rap country, it seems the genre is headed in an unprecedented direction. With this direction in mind, it seems fans, musicians, executives, and other industry professionals have coined two sub-genres as the leaders—pop country and Americana. That being so, it seems there has been a great divide in the fanbase of country music and people aren’t sure what is to come.
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The Numbers Don’t Lie
Critics and musicians on both sides will always have something to say about one another; however, that still does not answer the question—What direction is country music heading in? That being so, it is crucial to analyze the numerical explanations and trends currently transpiring in country music.
According to Luminate, the majority of country music listeners are of the baby boomer generation. Although, in 2023, streaming country music increased by 24%. This is all seemingly following the rise of acts such as Zach Bryan, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, and Luke Combs. Furthermore, according to this chart created by Capital News Service per Luminate’s numbers, all of the biggest upticks in country music over the last six years have come from the following releases—Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, Taylor Swift’s re-release of Speak Now, and Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter.
Given these trends, it seems pop country is dictating the growth among country music fans. Thus, attracting younger listeners and causing streamers from other genres to transition over.
A Divided Industry
It’s odd, but what the industry has created is Tyler Childers and Sierra Ferrell fans, and then Blake Shelton and Megan Moroney fans. It is an industry that just keeps growing in different directions. Per Luminate’s research, it seems this split is going to grow, as fans of the more traditional form are going to grow a larger contempt for where the genre is heading. Contrary to these types of fans, pop country fans will relish the rise as the music they love will seemingly be produced at an exponential rate.
In addition to Luminate’s data, The New Yorker wrote an extensive article on the city’s cultural shift in the Summer of 2023. In short, the article reports on how pop country has seemingly taken over the music scene, thus in a way, taking over Nashville.
Following an interview with Grammy-nominated songwriter, Jay Knowles. New Yorker writer Emily Nussbaum wrote, “The genre’s deepening division had been damaging to both sides,” and “every hit was a party anthem, with no darkness or story songs allowed,” per The New Yorker.
Regardless of what sources say, if you or anyone you know has been to Nashville in the recent past they can tell something has changed. People see that places like Chief’s on Broadway get more attraction on a Friday Night than The Station Inn. Folks hear more Luke Bryan in the air and less Waylon Jennings. They notice that the Nashville they once knew for neon lights and acoustic sets is now known for party buses and auto-tune. A complete metamorphosis leaving some happy and others a bit dismal.
Where is The Answer?
The question of “What direction is country music heading in?” is a pressing one and one that fans of both sides are demanding an answer for. Although, the best answer anyone can give at the moment—time will tell. People can wish for nostalgia or pray for progression, but what one shouldn’t do is scrutinize the other for their taste.
Music has seen shifts like this before. The growth of rock ‘n’ roll and hip-hop are two examples. Look what happened with that! So, some can be reluctant to change, but it is still coming, and whatever music one likes will still be there. It’s not going away, it might just take a back seat. Lastly, despite the head-scratching question, the love for a certain genre shouldn’t derive from the baggage it carries. Rather, if it sounds good to you, then listen to it.
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