Eric Church is officially getting into the business of whiskey. He’s calling his “Whiskey JYPSI” or something. It also seems every country artist wants to get in the business of alcohol. Managers love to tell their artists that it helps establish their “brand.” They’re also professional drinkers. So, it makes sense.
Now let’s get to shit talking here, because that’s why we’re here. Church was speaking with Esquire as part of a story piece about him on deciding to get into the whiskey business. Eric Church dropped some pretty incendiary comments about country radio and the country music business. Of course they’re 100% true. Church has also never been known to not say what he’s talking. He’s good at that.
While he was thanking about the “Americana” community and artists like Tyler Childers and Brandi Carlisle, Church told Esquire, “I don’t think you have to have radio now. I don’t think you have to have a label, I don’t think you have to win CMA Vocalist of the Year—I don’t think any of that is necessary anymore. There’s people in the country music industry that have had multiple No. 1 songs that couldn’t play their own high school, and there’s guys out here that have never, ever been on country radio that are doing eight thousand tickets.”
Hell…forget 8,000 tickets. Try 15,000-30,000. Eric Church’s underlying point remains. Unfortunately radio, labels, and awards no longer mean what they once did. Since we’re being bombarded with award shows…who really gives a shit on who wins what. This is pretty much spot as we see people like Zach Bryan, Cody Jinks, Tyler Childers, The Turnpike Troubadours, Billy Strings, and others soaring in popularity, and selling out arenas and stadiums. All thanks to the digital world we live in.
The comments from Eric Church are the heels with similar comments made recently by other major personalities in country music. It’s not that they’re necessarily revealing to anyone who is actually paying attention, but it’s the “saying the quiet part out loud” part that makes them so important.
Let’s be realistic here. The entire way we regard “country music” could be turned upside down, because we’re starting to see that. Institutions like radio, the ACM Awards and the CMA Awards will either need to adapt, or become apart of history. Don’t get us wrong though. Radio can still survive, but only if it goes more local, and independent. Like radio was designed to be.
Major labels are already signing independent acts left and right to distributions deals where they can keep creative control control of their masters like Flatland Cavalry recently announced.
Everything is changing, and at a faster pace. Either you remain tethered to the dying modes and institutions, or you adapt. Eric Church will probably be fine no matter what he does since he’s developed a loyal fans base. The fact is. A half a dozen #1’s on radio won’t do you much good when the current mainstream system implodes.
