On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, Jon Weisberger wrote:
> If the format's defined only in contrast or opposition to the commercial
> mainstream, and the mainstream changes, where does that leave Americana?
> From my perspective, there's no inherent reason why a fair number of
> presently-excluded country artists like Heather Myles, or Dwight Yoakam,
> or Connie Smith, or a bunch of others who are charting or have charted
> on Americana couldn't be part of a more hardcore, yet still commercially
> viable country format that didn't include all, or very much at all of
> the rock-based stuff, and some good reasons (like musical similarity)
> why they could be. If that happens, what's the point of an Americana
> chart?
It might be instructive to take a look at what happened in the rock world
with the introduction of the alternative format. For years, alternative
struggled -- just about all of the first wave of "new wave" stations went
under. Eventually though, the music gained in popularity, and most
alternative stations are now huge success stories. How did AOR react when
alternative music took off? First, they made the fatal mistake of trying
to ignore it (and it's quite likely the hidebound timid types who control
mainstream country radio will do the same if Americana gains strength).
Once alternative became too big to ignore, the AOR stations co-opted a
number of alternative artists. By then though, it was too late for a lot
of them -- alternative rock *is* the new mainstream, and most of the AOR
dinosaurs have been consigned to history. There may be some lessons to be
learned here...--don
