Rebooting From A Long Hot Summer...

Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville.

Well, I thought we were rebooting ... 99 and over 100 heat index in Nashville in early September ... This Summer season has been brutal, but the chill of Fall is yet to come ...

The CMA nominations are out Sept 6th and we are off to the races. Before those highly political award nominations are mentioned, you wonder in advance who will be the ins on campus and who are the outs.

Jason Aldean has to be in ... indie label or not ... many people will look very bad if he doesn't get more than a few nominations ... How will Taylor Swift be treated? Not well at the MTV Video Music Awards ... She did not exist, so what about the CMAs? Her tour is #1 or #2 alongside Chesney, depending on how you count and when. Her CD sold a ton. Is she still Country in the eyes of these voters?

Once past the mystery of Taylor and Jason, it's the usual suspects. With so many new acts, you know some surprises are coming in some way. You can make bets on that. The big labels need their baby acts on this show in some way.

Keith Urban's show sure was good this year. Taylor's was huge. Kenny's was his usual cash register ... then what? Brad is the past winner that who? Does Aldean get in? Does Rascal Flatts get in? This is where the drama and hurt feelings come in.

With mergers and FCC sale approvals pending in many cities, backstage drama is almost upstaging the fun of Fall. You can just hear the axe sharpening and nerves are on end. I don't need to say the names. It is nothing short of scary for dozens if not hundreds in radio right now.

The label shakedowns may not be done either. Just in a lull.

Gold at $2,500 next year? Whoa. The Country tour folks could care less. Crank up those jets and buses and let's roll! George and Martina, Tim & Faith, Darius, Lady A, The Band Perry ... headline tours in the Winter. And more expected. Get the money while it's hot and Country folks seem to be spending the concert money.

Reba is selling Christmas trees at Dillard's and Taylor Swift perfume. These are rich times for the top tier for sure. The CMA and its new TV deal. It's new house and ride time on Music Row for some.

You know it feels odd to have all this harvest gold when so much of the economy is tanking. Pistol Annie's 44,000 to start? Look at the sales for Eric Church and Jake Owen; the good times are rolling ... Country music is thriving...not like Bon Jovi and U2, but doing very well ... That's exciting ... Is it doing good because the economy is doing bad? I don't think it works that way anymore.

The MTV awards were mostly about Hip-Hop. Country is about the only other kind of music with no THUMP THUMP THUMP ... Non-teens can only take so much thump thump thump.

Ride the wave, boys and girls...Buy Golden guitar picks! Vince Gill meets Sting on CMAs. That should be most interesting.