Is Country Music Cool Again?
A Breakdown of the Current State of Country Music
On The Road Again
Another night spent in a hotel; This particular one in Dallas, Texas. Tomorrow Cooper McCord, a drummer on tour with Tucker Wetmore, will set forth on his first transatlantic flight. Originally from Pittsburgh, Texas, two drumsticks have gotten him further in life then he could have ever imagined. He hangs up the phone after a conversation with his mother, brushes his teeth, and sets out his clothes for the journey to the Netherlands.
“How in the world do I do this for a living?,” he asks himself.
While drummers like McCord feel the positives of a growing industry, it hasn’t always been this kind to people who were once in his shoes.
“It’s kind of surreal to think this industry and business is something I get to be involved in,” he said. “There’s no doubt that our genre is in one of the best places it has ever been”.
Country Music: A Brief Rundown
Not long ago, Hank Williams Sr. picked up a guitar and changed the trajectory of country music. Still often heard on front porches from Texas to Tennessee, “Hey Good Lookin’,” remains one of the most played songs to date. Fast forward a few years, legends such as Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash took advantage of the groundwork that Williams laid.
Often referred to as one of the best live albums that country music has produced, “At Folsom Prison” by Johnny Cash changed the way people heard and viewed live country music.
The 80s and 90s saw a golden age for the genre. Artists such as Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks began increasing the popularity of country music drastically. Garth Brooks world tours between 1993 and 1998 earned the title of most sold out tour the industry had seen. Numerous acts followed, including Shania Twain. Twain’s “Come On Over” tour amassed more than 6.1 million attendees and saw earnings of more than $420 million.
Fast forward to the early 2000s, country music took a hit. Many listeners saw the product as “artificial”. Ashley Gorley, now one of country music’s most sought after songwriters, graduated from Belmont University in 1999 and began his work.
The Writer Comes to Town
“It was a whole lot different then,” he shared. “This town (Nashville) was really struggling from all aspects because no one was really listening. Did it drive me? Sure but it was really discouraging to me knowing I was putting in a ton of work and the audience wasn’t really there.”
Gorley, while raising three kids, would see his life change in 2009. Earning himself the title of “ASCAP Songwriter of the Year”, the Kentucky native felt as though there was a shift. “I had just developed my formula and it really resonated well with a lot of the artists I was working with at the time.”
Working alongside writers such as Rhett Atkins and Rivers Rutherford, the three writers were determined to pioneer country music in a new direction.
In 2013, the snaptrack was born.
“It made us lose some credibility,” Gorley said. A simple finger snap began being included in a variety of songs, causing a lot of artists to lose their “originality”. Gorley stated that it became a time where he’d try to write slower songs that were instrument-heavy. He would go on to write “I Don’t Dance” sung by Lee Brice. The song would go on to claim the number one spot on Apple Music in August of 2014.
Fast forward seven years to 2021, a new name entered the realm that would turn the tides and bring back “originality”. Gorley would have four writing credits on Dangerous: The Double Album released by Morgan Wallen. Praising his work ethic and passion for songwriting, Wallen expressed his gratitude to Gorley after his eight “Songwriter of the Year” award in 2024.
Country’s Coming Back
One song at a time, one collaboration at a time, one thing at a time.
Morgan Wallen’s One Night At A Time tour sold over 3.1 million tickets across 87 shows, 51 stadiums, and three continents. As of October of 2024, the world tour became the highest selling country tour in history.
“You look at the numbers and your jaw hits the floor,” Luke Anderson, a touring agent for Live Nation, said. “It’s a great model. Everything from his entrance to the wristbands, he makes a stadium his. Athletes like Troy Aikman walking out with him in Dallas? That’s special because it shows his audience he’s not just playing for 90 minutes and hitting the road”.
Wallen wasn’t the only one who has seen a successful touring season over the last five years. Luke Combs sold 1.2 million tickets over the course of 42 shows, including dates in Australia and New Zealand.
“Tours give us a glimpse at where things stand as far as who’s listening,” Anderson said. “The fact that we have artists touring to Australia, Sweden, Denmark, numerous dates in Finland, etc. gives us so much information about the current market and state of the genre. It’s a credit to everyone in the industry because they sort of shifted the way the music is perceived.”
According to Billboard, country music's share of top tours dipped in 2017 and continued throughout the pandemic. However, that share jumped up to 12.7% across all genres, up from 9% in 2017.
A City Benefitting
Nashville, Tennessee is often strongly associated with country music. The streets of the city are often crowded with tourists ranging from bachelor parties to those trying to make a name for themselves.
The city’s growth has continued to rise since the turn of the century. According to MacroTrends, the metropolitan population sat at 755,000 in 2000. In an almost unrecognizable fashion, the current population of the area hovers around 1.3 million.
Anthony Poli, a guitarist from Chicago, is en route to graduating from Belmont and plans to stay in the area to pursue music. Arriving to town in 2021, the 22 year old said he’s seen a lot of change in just four short years.
“Not only when you look at the skyline do things look different but all of the neighborhoods surrounding downtown have really benefited,” Poli said. “The amount of people pursuing their goals of being involved within the business grows by the day.”
Working alongside other local musicians, Poli continues to throw himself into recording studios and writing rooms as the demand for the product continues to increase. “There is no question everyone who lives here feels the impact of the popularity country music has taken on as of late, everyone’s constantly going.”
The Takeaway
A growing city, a growing genre, and an expanding music scene. Artists, guitarists, restaurants, hotels, etc. are all reaping the benefits of where country music currently stands. As time goes on, it is expected that the $17.7 billion dollar industry will only grow.
As new names, new faces, and new lyrics continue to be generated, it seems as though country music is a runaway train with no signs of stopping. Sure, country music is more popular than it was 10 years ago but it could be well on its way to dominating more aspects of American culture.
Is country music cool again? There’s no question.
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