I've made it through the first 10 or so songs, She's right; it's a Beyonce album (gospel-based R&B stylings) with hints of country rather than a country album by Beyonce. It's not an album for purists, for sure. The "duets" with Willie Nelson are practically nothing: just random sounds of old radio broadcasts and such followed by a few spoken sentences from Willie, saying how much he likes this project. Same goes for Dolly Parton's contributions. Beyonce's take on "Jolene" is adventurous and very good, and I was very pleasantly surprised by "II Most Wanted," her duet with Miley Cyrus. Reserving further comment until I listen to the remaining tracks,The Beyonce country album has been released, and it contains the collaborations teased earlier:
Beyoncé's country-inspired album 'Cowboy Carter' has finally arrived
Beyoncé's eighth studio album, "Cowboy Carter," is available worldwide now.abcnews.go.com
Texas Hold 'Em is in the Country Airplay Top 30, indicating it is getting increased radio airplay.
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Beyonce Country Project
- Thread starter TheBigA
- Start date
Let us know your opinion after you listen for a while. I'm a kinda' "ya gotta have a fiddle in the band" country fan, so this may be too sophisticated or crossover for me.
Here's what the music critics say about Beyonce's album:
www.countryinsider.com
Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’: What People Are Saying.
“Beyoncé has gone country, sure,” writes Ben Sisario of the New York Times, “but it turns out that’s only the half of it.” Turns out that with 27 tracks that
The site, Saving Country Music, has a very detailed article countering the notion that Country radio resisted playing Beyonce's songs. It is an interesting read in part because it explains how many if not most Country stations acquire and select new music for airplay. And the Beyonce songs presented some unusual complications.
Country Radio Response
Country Radio Response
To summarize, radio plays what the labels tell them to play. No one responsible for selecting music to be played at corporate radio is capable of autonomous decision making.
Cowboy Carter was being talked about by every major media outlet and social platform today. In fact, I can't remember the last time I witnessed so much buzz over an album release.
Did any radio stations play anything from the album apart from Texas Hold 'Em today? How about the stations that still aren't playing anything from it at all? Does radio even stand for anything anymore?
If it's so easy, why is Beyonce the first black woman to get this level of airplay?
No. However, I saw quite a few album cuts from Kenny Chesney's new album, also released today.
Explain that.
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Today, music is released not just to local radio stations but to every kind of free and paid streaming source. No single station is going to go against a highly synchronized release by playing a different cut.
Further, if the station ever wants to get any cooperation for a label, they won't try to swim against the current.
Where a program director might decide to go on a released cut that nobody else had "discovered", the era of playing the "wrong cut" is over... mostly due to the Internet.
Correct, and this one is important:
What are we talking about? There's the "s" word in the second verse. Then there's the 'b' word in the chorus. Earlier in this thread, {#159) I posted that the version I received from Sony was the clean version. Both the "s" word and the "b" word are veery artfully covered up. No bleep. The words just don't appear, and you don't notice them missing unless you know they're there. I think if you want to get the Bible belt, you need to keep it clean. So they cleaned it up for country, and it worked. I don't think stations would have played the song otherwise.
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Here are the facts: The Mediabase country panel consists of 157 country radio stations. Most of them are owned by the big radio companies, but not all of them. The country stations in several big markets, including LA, are owned by individuals, not big companies. So this week, out of 157 stations, 123 are playing the song. That means 34 stations have made the decision NOT to play the song. That's about 18%. I bet there are a few of those stations that will never add the song.
The "b" word was, and still is, fine for pop and rock radio. Elton John and one-hit wonder Meredith Brooks both charted with songs that had that one word as their titles.
Explain, please, the concept of "push weeks," where spins of one anointed song go through the roof at all 157 of the Mediabase panel's stations so that song can get an airplay No. 1. It happened last week with Hardy's "Truck Bed" and is happening this week with Chayce Beckham's "23." And next week, it will be Morgan Wallen and Eric Church's "Man Made a Bar." How is this possible if the labels and radio stations aren't in collusion? The regular posters on The Pulse message board can accurately predict airplay No. 1s two months in advance! How much money/cocaine/women/etc. are being sent to the PDs of the stations participating in this choreographed, predetermined sham? Are stations not in the panel obliged to join in the push weeks as well?
No. Nothing illegal. Nothing hidden. Record labels are partners, not competitors. We sometimes work together to achieve mutual goals. Not always, and nothing is required. With regards to Hardy, there were three stations that weren't playing Truck Bed. They didn't participate in the #1. The very same label is working the Morgan Wallen song. Radio benefits when songs go #1 by having hit songs to play. Hit music makes for great radio, and country radio has proven that it can help a label or artist achieve their goals.
The push week is the culmination of a months-long process that begins with the add date. Stations decide individually if they're going to add a song or not. Then every week they decide if they will increase spins or drop the song. The labels will call the to weigh in on the decision, but it's made by each station every week.
All radio formats used to work this way. All of those artist visits people remember at Z100 or WMMS were organized by record labels to promote music. When you see pictures of Kid Leo or Jim Ladd and some rock star, you'll also see the regional record rep. All those Gold records the DJs received came from promoting music. We're seeing it less and less in rock and alternative because of cutbacks at the labels, smaller promo budgets, and less investment in new music. But it's just like the good old days in country.
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Here is NPR's take on the Beyonce album:
A lot of articles, including this one, reference her not feeling welcome at the CMA Awards. I am going to predict that you will see her make a return to the CMAs this fall. It will be a very different situation, and this time I expect she will be welcomed with open arms. There is a new generation in charge of the music now, and they see country as a much wider format.
A lot of articles, including this one, reference her not feeling welcome at the CMA Awards. I am going to predict that you will see her make a return to the CMAs this fall. It will be a very different situation, and this time I expect she will be welcomed with open arms. There is a new generation in charge of the music now, and they see country as a much wider format.
Actually she was given an enthusiastic welcome at the CMA Awards. The problem was the vitriol on social media over her presence there.
She'll probably make a return to the CMAs this fall where those in attendance will give her tremendous applause again. Will red-state country fans react any differently on social media this time? I think most of us know the answer but I guess we'll see.
As expected, Beyonce's country project Cowboy Carter tops the Billboard album chart:
variety.com
It also is #1 on the Country Album chart, the first black woman ever to do this:
www.billboard.com
Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Bows at No. 1, Earning Biggest Debut of 2024 So Far
Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' debuts at No. 1 with the biggest sales debut of 2024, and marks the first time a Black woman bowed atop the country chart.
variety.com
It also is #1 on the Country Album chart, the first black woman ever to do this:
Beyoncé Achieves Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 With ‘Cowboy Carter’
Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" debuts atop the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums chart, with the biggest week of 2024.
www.billboard.com
Four people who participated appeared on the CMT Awards last night.As expected, Beyonce's country project Cowboy Carter tops the Billboard album chart:
Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Bows at No. 1, Earning Biggest Debut of 2024 So Far
Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' debuts at No. 1 with the biggest sales debut of 2024, and marks the first time a Black woman bowed atop the country chart.
It also is #1 on the Country Album chart, the first black woman ever to do this:
Beyoncé Achieves Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 With ‘Cowboy Carter’
Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" debuts atop the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums chart, with the biggest week of 2024.
How does Billboard determine which streamers are listening to those songs as country music fans? The single is charting both pop and country. Country, pop and R&B/hip-hop fans are streaming and buying those songs. So is everyone who streams or buys those Beyonce songs counted as a consumer on the Hot Country chart? That defies logic. The song isn't turning significant numbers of listeners to "urban" formats into country listeners.
They can't and they don't. I've said this several times in this thread. The reason this song qualifies for the Hot Country Chart is because the label has designated this as a country song. Not because of the banjo. The label designated this song for ten charts, and those charts are counting plays of the song without any information about who those people are. They did the same thing with the Adele song last year.