You missed his point.
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Major Country Star Removed From Radio Playlists
- Thread starter Barry
- Start date
I don't think so. The "gangsta" thing works in some genres. Not others. Country music has been dealing with the stereotype that it's all white music and prejudiced against black people. Then this guy gets drunk and confirms that stereotype. Not good for business. But sure, Conrad got banned for his song too. This what-about stuff is not an excuse. You want the same rules to apply? Go ahead.
The main thing about this guy is he's been caught on tape twice, and he's apologized twice. This makes his third strike. Nobody wanted this to happen. It sucks that he's got the biggest record in the country right now. This is going to hurt country music and country radio for a while. Celebrities sometimes don't think how their actions can hurt others.
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I think what we have here is a talented alcoholic that can't keep his mouth shut. While the music lover will be the deciding factor if he has any career left, it will certainly be short-lived unless he gets his life under control. In some respects he's like that great football player that gets that big contract and then kills his career with his actions off the field.
Morgan Wallen has been "suspended indefinitely" from his record company. What does that mean?
www.rollingstone.com
It sounds like everyone is hedging their bets.
Morgan Wallen's Label Suspended Him 'Indefinitely.' Here's What That Means -- And What It Doesn't
After saying a racial slur, Morgan Wallen saw his record deal with Big Loud and Republic suspended indefinitely. But what does that mean?
www.rollingstone.com
It sounds like everyone is hedging their bets.
Hmm...the last major football player that got that big contract and killed his career was this QB for the 49ers who quietly knelt while the anthem was playing.
As Sesame Street taught us, one of these things is not like the other.
The thing about Wallen is that the industry (as anyone who has been around it for awhile knows) tries very hard to keep their artists away from controversy. They go through "media training" before they're sent out on their radio tours and are taught to play nice whenever they're in public. Wallen has been through this process and knows (or should know) that if he shoots his mouth off he's risking the label's investment into his career.
And yeah, people screw up. He did it, and got checked. Then he did it again, and got checked. He did it a 3rd time, and threw in the N word to boot. He should know better.
This isn't a guy saying "I'm going to stand for racial justice even if it means I lose my job." This is a guy who gets drunk, throws out racial no-no's, and says "please forgive me!"
Alcohol removes the filter and truth slips out. Wallen is a bigot. Many people that listen to Country Radio formats share his beliefs.
Rolling Stone reported that his music sales have significantly INCREASED since the incident. Abhorrent behaviour has become acceptable (and without getting Political), we know why...
Jones, yes. Willie, no. Jones had a drinking problem, and it caused him to miss shows. Some of those shows were promoted by radio stations. That cost radio stations money. So they stopped playing his records. A similar thing happened to Hank Williams Jr in the late 80s and 90s. But back in those days people didn't have cell phones with video cameras where they could record celebrities saying and doing things and sharing them on the internet. That's what got Morgan Wallen. It happened multiple times, and every time it happened, he promised it wouldn't happen again. So now it won't happen again.
The Willie story is different. Willie left Nashville on his own. He quit his record label and moved back home to Texas. It was there he discovered a music community that was different from Nashville, and more to his liking. Willie and his outlaw friends smoked marijuana. They smoked it a lot, but did it privately on their own buses or on their own property, This is again where Morgan made a mistake. He got drunk and was making a lot of noise on a public street. Some people took video of his public outburst, and sold it to TMZ. There's a reason why celebrities live behind walls. They don't want to have their behavior caught on video.
With regard to the audience for WNSH 94.7, if their Facebook page is any indication, it is very conservative. Whenever a political issue is (infrequently) mentioned, the majority of the comments are quite far to the right.
Possibly in other parts of the U.S., where country music is more ingrained, the audience may be more diverse. It also seems possible that in this area, many more liberal people shun country music, based on their own biased perceptions of the genre's fans.
Possibly in other parts of the U.S., where country music is more ingrained, the audience may be more diverse. It also seems possible that in this area, many more liberal people shun country music, based on their own biased perceptions of the genre's fans.
Are you saying that if Wallen is a bigot in private, then it's OK? Not all celebrities live behind walls to hide their beliefs.
The Dixie Chicks were punished because they dared to speak up. They challenged the Country Status Quo. Hypocrites will condemn Willie Nelson for smoking pot, but embrace a bigot like Wallen. Those people reinforce the Redneck stereotype...
Did I say that? No. Had he ever used bigoted language anywhere before? In his songs? In his concerts? No. There was no prior indication that he was a bigot. So why would people make that assumption? Isn't that prejudice?
They did it in England, not in the US. It wasn't reported by the US media because they weren't at that concert. The only way anyone found out was by reading the story in the British press. A conservative talk show host saw the story, read it on his show, and told his listeners to call their country radio stations to stop playing the Dixie Chicks. Had that not happened, no one would have known.
So are you saying that Wallen should respond like the Chicks? Act indignant that he's being punished, and demand his freedom of speech? That he has a right to use any language he wants? Is that what you're saying? Because the response will be the same.
This is going to be a problem for country radio. He is the top selling artist in the format right now. That's not going to change. But his fans won't hear his music on the radio. They will seek it elsewhere.
I'm not saying that. The two cases are not the same at all. Wallen can say whatever he wants, but there are consequences. Radio doesn't have to banish him. They only will if they feel advertising revenue will suffer. I'm sure that many of the people who listen to his music don't care if he is a bigot.
Let's face it. This country is off the rails. Some people will defend the indefensible to the bitter end...
In that way, they ARE the same. Country radio is being criticized for "woke censorship" and "cancel culture." They acted the same way about the Dixie Chicks. Different politics, same response.
It's almost like I said this in post #2 which, by the way, you immediately disputed as usual, Big A.
Many people who have racial, ethnic or other group affiliations have "beliefs" and biased perspectives on other groups.
Don't make it seem like country listeners have a monopoly on prejudices. They don't.
I'm saying the same thing that I said in response to your post. Country radio responded to Morgan the way they responded to the Dixie Chicks. Although they gave Morgan two more chances. I think claiming "cancel culture" and "woke censorship" for Morgan ignores how radio responded to the Chicks. Where am I being inconsistent?
One example would be Kid Rock.
Kid Rock sounds off on new album amid drunken Oprah rant backlash: ‘Haters better be shaking in your boots’
Kid Rock is not happy about the way he has been treated on social media.
BTW Last spring Morgan was kicked out of Kid Rock's bar and was arrested for being drunk & disorderly.
Country singer Morgan Wallen apologizes after arrest outside Kid Rock's Nashville bar
Country singer Morgan Wallen issued an apology on Twitter after he was arrested on Saturday and charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
Two days later, Kid Rock invited Morgan to his house.
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It's difficult to get into someone's head, and determine whether they are really a racist. David Allan Coe is a well known country singer-song writer who has used the N-word in more than one of his songs. He has strenuously argued he is not at all racist.
Coe is an example of a country artist who has been quite successful, without being concerned about radio airplay, and mainstream acceptance.
Quite a Character; David Allan Coe - Wikipedia
Coe is an example of a country artist who has been quite successful, without being concerned about radio airplay, and mainstream acceptance.
Quite a Character; David Allan Coe - Wikipedia
Of course they don't have a monopoly, but they don't get a free pass either. Many of these people who complained about Black Lives Matter (responding with ALL LIVES MATTER) refuse to wear masks in public.
Wallen is actually profiting from his despicable behaviour. He's being rewarded by "his base". Yes, you are correct it goes beyond Country Radio listeners...
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