The Country Music Awards

After watching the CMA awards show this year, two things were very obvious. One, it seems the business is now almost totally committed to the youth market which, in itself is not so bad but it would be nice if they had more artists that could actually sing. I don't think I've ever heard so much off key singing on one awards show ever. Given the fact that sound systems and mikes are hard to handle at live events it was still shocking to see the standard that modern music has adopted for vocals. It was a little embarrassing actually.

Second, it would appear that any mention now of any artist over the age of 30 or anyone that's not on the charts as of the last five minutes is taboo now. It's like there has been a policy made that no artist or singer from the past will have any respect paid to them unless they are working with another new artist and even then it will be short and sweet. Don't get me wrong, I don't think we should dwell on the past and there should certainly be a limit as to how much prime time exposure is given to historical references but to totally ignore them is highly disrespectful and wrong. There should have been more than two minutes spent on the life of Jerry Reed for instance. Here is a man that revolutionized the way sessions are made and guitars are played and it was like they couldn't wait to move on to something else. Hurry along, the kids may decide to play a video game if we linger on this too long. Strange.

But overall, to be fair, I thought the awards that were given were pretty much dead on. George Strait as an artist deserves any award he gets and is certainly a great choice for the categories he won in. The same goes for Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood. They are great artists and have worked their butts off to get where they are. No qualms with that.

But I think you will start to see the business changing soon. There are many "splinter groups" that are forming now that represent many listeners around the country and around the world. There are artists from right here in Austin and around the state of Texas that are fully capable of putting a lot of the new talent out of Nashville under the carpet on any given night at any given location. They are gathering large groups of fans and listeners without the help of labels or radio stations and they represent a ton of download and music sales. You more than likely will never see them on a network television show and yet they are some of the most powerful people in the business. Change is coming, believe me.

That is all I have to say for the time being but there will be more to come and I really hope that in the future, on national broadcasts they will be a little more respectful of the pioneers and giants that have come and gone that have contributed so much to the business. And if not, keep your mouse ready, there will always be somewhere else to go where they do.

A Day Without A Musician

I've been following the progress of an organization here in Austin called "Save Austin Music" that is trying to bring about change in the way musicians are paid and treated in general as well as engaging city leaders in forums and meetings on ways to change how the music industry is viewed in Austin. Troy Dillinger is spearheading the organization and has literally moved heaven and earth to make his case for both the well being of the city of Austin and the musicians that make the city their base of operations.

In order to fully appreciate what musicians bring to the city, imagine if you will a day without a musician in Austin. A couple of years ago there was a movie entitled " A Day Without A Mexican" in which it was depicted how life would be for the populace if there were no Mexicans to do the work that most people either can't or won't do. While it may have been politically incorrect and offensive to some, it was a stark realization to say the least and I think the same could be said for the city of Austin if there were no musicians for one day.

Just think about it for a minute, what would there be to do here? There would be plenty of bars open for sure, just like Dallas or Houston or any other city in America and they would be playing music of course, recorded, canned music just like everywhere else. And you could go to the movies or plays or sporting events just like any other city in the country. And that's what you would have. The same thing that every other city in America has.

So, what would Austin be known for then? Why is there a statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn on Town Lake? Why is Antone's famous the world over? Why is Austin City Limits one of the most popular and enduring shows on television? Why does Willie Nelson live here? Why are there so many recording studios here? Why is there so much movie and television production work done here? Why is South By Southwest done here?

I hear people complain sometimes about the noise level in downtown Austin and to me that sounds the same as people that move next to an airport and complain about the noise the planes make. Did you not see the clubs there when you bought your condo? If the image of this city is altered and homogenized to become like every other city in America then get ready to see the value of that condo drop dramatically because then you will just own a condo in a large city with a huge tax bill. Good luck on selling that one.

I think it's time to wake up people, there are things that can be done to save the music scene in Austin and it's a no brainer that it's a very important part of the culture in this city even if you have no interest in the music business personally. It's just part of our fiber, our history, and our economy.

Go to http://www.saveaustinmusic.com/ for more details. And do it today, I can hear musicians unplugging their amps as we speak.