Someone once committed a heinous act that was immortalized in a song. George Strait and Alan Jackson's "Murder on Music Row" in 1999 brought this to light. The lyrics, "The almighty dollar and the lust for worldwide fame/Slowly killed tradition, and for that someone should hang," painted a vivid picture. Classic country artists like Strait and Jackson have always been the torchbearers of deeply American values such as faith, family, and freedom, overcoming human vices like drinking, gambling, and cheating. But as these artists age, a cheap replica of "country" is taking their place.

Unraveling the Truth Behind the Changing Face of Country Music

Section 1: The Birth of a Crisis

The decline of traditional country music can be traced back to the advent of streaming services in the early 2000s. As Warden, who has been in music studios since 1981, explains, if you wanted to own music, you had to buy a record. But suddenly, with the advent of digital music, you could have it on your computer. This led to a significant drop in revenue for record companies, which made them start making "360 deals" around 2002 or 2003. Under these deals, record companies would get a cut of the artist's income from merchandise, touring sales, and publishing. This shift brought an influx of poor songwriters, as Warden calls it, "the beginning of the creaking of the door open" to reducing music quality. If you have three great songwriters and a mediocre one in the room, the song is pulled down to the level of the least talented writer. This had a profound impact on the quality of country music.

Section 2: The Impact of Technology

New technology like Antares Auto-Tune entered the music scene in the late '90s. Initially designed to save great takes where a singer missed a note or two, it soon became a tool to help lesser artists sound better than they actually were. As Warden points out, "Immediately what happened was the devil took over, and the record companies realized, 'Hey, we don’t even have to have good singers anymore. We could just have somebody that’s good-looking.'" This led to a shift in the focus from talent to appearance, and we were no longer presented with the incredible singers that perhaps weren't the most visually appealing. But perhaps more destructive was the influx of coastal elites into record labels producing country music. Nashville record labels had tight budgets in the early 2000s, so they started recruiting executives from New York and Los Angeles instead of promoting from within. These executives often looked down on the traditions of country music, with no cultural touchstone. They tried to promote a product that would simply sell the most records, sometimes showing actual disdain for the traditions behind the scenes.

Section 3: The New Generation's Promise

While the modern, cardboard-cutout version of country music has become popular, classic artists are passing the torch to some younger ones. Randy Travis, like Strait and Jackson, is a classic artist known for deep and meaningful songs. But after a stroke in 2013, he now struggles to speak and perform, losing an important voice for the genre. However, 27-year-old Zach Top is helping bring back classic country. His song "Sounds Like the Radio" features steel guitar and the '90s style of Strait and Jackson, and his "Dirt Turns to Gold" conveys the value of hometowns and hard work. Young artists like Top, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, and Parker McCollum are keeping classic country alive in various ways, from their style to their method of composing music. As Timbo, whose father played fiddle for Bill Monroe, says, "I think a lot of us have reached for the roots, reached for things that have that feeling. Stuff that sounds real, as opposed to the 'auto-tune, sexy tractor.'"

Section 4: The Future Outlook

Drake, another classic country artist, was shocked by the type of people working in many of the genre's labels. People from coastal regions with no connection to country music were becoming employed in publishing houses. But he sees hope in artists like Cody Johnson, as he believes artists of all stripes and political backgrounds are getting more recognition. Warden emphasizes that the corporate music industry should listen to the listeners. "Give the consumer what they want," he says. "Don't tell the consumer they're wrong, don't tell the consumer they're a bigot, don't tell the consumer they're backwards." There is a sense that classic country music still has a place and a future if the industry listens to its true fans.