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Music

An In-Depth Look at Oliver Anthony's Rant on the Country Music Industry

2024-12-09

A few days ago, Oliver Anthony, the renowned figure from "Rich Men North of Richmond", released a 15-minute video filled with his stream-of-consciousness rants about the flaws within the country music industry. Some of his observations hold truth, and you might find yourself nodding in agreement. However, certain aspects he presents are either categorically false or misleading at best, and could potentially be harmful when put out there without proper context. This has become prime fodder for online click-driven platforms, with various outlets quoting his scathing remarks about Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" album and others claiming he called out Parker McCollum for using backing tracks - a claim McCollum firmly denies. But a significant portion of the video showcases Oliver Anthony reflecting on his encounters with a host of unprofessional mainstream country music industry figures in Nashville who tried to lead him astray. One can surely understand his frustration with such experiences.

Why Oliver Anthony Got Involved with Mainstream Industry

This leads to crucial questions about why an artist like Oliver Anthony got entangled with mainstream country industry people in the first place. "Those people look at you like you're a fuel source," Anthony begins in the video. "Like you're an oil well. And they just want to extract as much as they can from you. Once they're done, they discard you. The music doesn't matter to them. And often, it even stops mattering to the artist as they're made to sing songs and do things that aren't truly theirs. So, there's no genuine heart in it." This accurately describes a large part of the mainstream country music industry, although not all. It's astonishing to witness the soulless commodification of music that occurs on Music Row, the lack of true commitment beyond what makes the most money, and how certain artists signed to major labels get lost in a black hole of attention, sometimes referred to as the "Artist Protection Program."Oliver Anthony further explains, "They find some guy to build a character around, promote him through their label, give him a bunch of songs written by some kids in Nashville while they're wearing Crocs, drinking White Claws, and hitting golf balls. Nobody who wrote or truly sang those songs understands the lyrics. But it sounds good, is catchy, and fits the mold. It's just like a repetitive model."He then talks about how he ended up with a management company that didn't share his vision for his music and just stood in the way of his aspirations. "People in the industry only work with those within the industry," he says. "If you want to use an independent documentary guy, or record and release songs unconventionally, or have an impact outside the established model, they won't tell you they don't want to work with you. They just nod and smile, then stall your projects until you figure it out and start doing it yourself."It took him 6 to 8 or 10 months of being stalled, manipulated, and discouraged to finally start doing things his way again. "I don't need a bunch of nerds and coffee-drinking freaks in Nashville to tell me how to live my life. That was my mistake for relying on them instead of on God and the people I trust."But the big question remains: why did Oliver Anthony work with mainstream country industry people in Nashville initially? Why did he interact with this side of country music? Doesn't he know there's an alternative industry on the independent side that offers creative freedom and extensive music distribution and live performance opportunities? How did he get involved with the wrong people, especially after showing such wisdom and presence of mind during his interview with Joe Rogan and stating multiple times that he would be careful about who he worked with when "Rich Men North of Richmond" was gaining popularity? All the early signs pointed to him working with the wrong people. He was pictured with disgraced country publicist Kirt Webster and booked on bad mainstream country music festivals. He initially said he was mentored by Jamey Johnson (Anthony even wears a Jamey Johnson shirt in the video, joking about it). But Jamey Johnson, who just released his first original album in 14 years, is out of touch with the current country music business and management.

Oliver Anthony's Views on Different Artists

One of the people he worked with wanted him to make a stupid post about Beyoncé's country album, claiming it was good when it was actually trash. "It makes me want to vomit just listening to the beginning of her 'Jolene' version. It represents how degenerate our society has become that such a version can exist and people actually listen to it and think it's not trash," Anthony says in the video.The question arises: why would Oliver Anthony interact with someone who would suggest he praise Beyoncé on social media? It seems incomprehensible. While Oliver Anthony's words provide insights into how the mainstream country music industry works, he also deserves some blame for getting himself into such a situation. He seems to attribute his rise with "Rich Men North of Richmond" as the reason for getting swept up in the moment. But the same thing happened to Zach Bryan, who found the right path in the industry to avoid the Music Row puppetmasters. Many others like Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers have also done so. Even now, Oliver Anthony and those around him seem unaware of the strong alternatives to Music Row. If they do know, they leave this part out of the 15-minute video.This is especially evident when he starts talking about performing at country music festivals. "People don't realize that a band can make $450,000 for just an hour on stage, and you're only hearing half the band because many of these mainstream acts, especially in country, use backing tracks. I'll never forget an act at the Myrtle Beach festival. The band that played after us had six Autotune modulators on their pedal board just to help with vocals. And they had backing tracks and drum loops running... they all do it."First of all, not all do it. You only see or hear this at mainstream country festivals like the Carolina Country Music Fest that he mentions. At actual country music festivals or independent ones, you never see Autotune or backing tracks. When you do, it stands out sharply and is shocking. This is the polarization surrounding Ian Munsick, who is the only artist you'll see at an independent festival using backing tracks. So, when Oliver Anthony says this practice is widespread at country festivals, he's sharing an uninformed opinion and causing a lot of unnecessary damage.Fans took Oliver Anthony's quotes and started deducing he might be referring to Parker McCollum, who performed after him at the Carolina Country Music Fest in 2024. Whisky Riff then posted an article about it, highlighting how they are manufacturing drama at the expense of the country music community. Parker McCollum responded in a video, stating it's a 100% fabricated lie. He has never used Autotune or drum loops on stage. His show is all live and raw. Oliver Anthony never named Parker McCollum; it could have been a different performer or festival. Whisky Riff made it seem like a direct call-out.Oliver Anthony concluded the video by saying, "Nobody talks about that stuff," like the use of AutoTune and drum loops live and the way songs are written in the mainstream. But anyone familiar with Saving Country Music would know this already. His insights seem outdated and trite. Of course, mainstream country music is manufactured. When Zach Bryan first started gaining popularity, Saving Country Music made efforts to contact him not only for an interview but also to share insights about the divided nature of the country music industry and which side to be on. In Oliver Anthony's case, efforts were also made to reach out to him and his representatives, but no response came.Oliver Anthony is booked for festivals in 2025 that suit him better, like the Under The Big Sky Fest in Montana. But someone needs to educate him about the country music landscape if he's being advised to praise Beyoncé and perform with those using AutoTune. None of this means his criticisms of the country music industry are wrong. But the independent side of country music now accounts for nearly 50% of all industry activities. If you think the only option is using TuneCore to release your music or signing to a Music Row major label or management company, you're 14 years behind and woefully uninformed.