Art Reflects The World Around It ... CONFUSION!

Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville.

Mall mass murder, workplace violence on a Navy Base, $499 tickets for Country music shows (Zac Brown Food Experience at his Southern Ground Festival in Nashville), non-English speaking radio KLAX tops Los Angeles market, Seacrest game show flops,

And I could go on for pages. Changing times.

Things that are old are new again and new things that should work don't. Must be a very hard time to make regular money on Music Row. Imagine deciding on who will hit and who will not. Feast or famine ... it's how things roll these days.

Country artists in 2013 can't locate a sure thing. Closest thing to it: Blake Shelton's personality is very popular and his honest "good old boy appeal" cuts through the fake. Justin Moore is real Country. The real thing and look how his new CD did! I'm making a case for the real/honest thing.

Add Cassadee Pope. She can sing and has the determination to go along with it. She is a power singer like so many of the ladies. Her material is good. It won't be for lack of trying. Her road to hopeful success is seen on CMT soon in a documentary. Nothing easy about air-dropping into Nashville's music scene and willing them all to love you.

The TV talent show does give you a built-in audience and that gets those sales going.

You still must have luck and timing. Speaking of luck and timing....

The Nashville ABC show is getting about the same rating it got last year. Will that be enough at the end of the day? It still needs that magical secret ingredient that to me seems to be missing. They are close ... real close. But what? Big-name music and less of the picking/grinning new age Country stuff? Would that even be enough? I'm hooked on the show. I want it to succeed but worrying how "must see" it is.

HERE'S A DYNAMIC DUO: Eric Church for Friday and Luke Bryan for Saturday booked for one of the Summer outdoor fests in the Midwest June 26th-29th, 2014 Country Stampede ... that's a powerful and probably expensive booking...

Why would a festival book 60 acts and no superstar for a festiva l... seems like a lot of trouble. Fifty still wont draw like ONE ... concert booking math. Maybe they make it work and defy order in Panama City. It's that kind of year to break the mold.

FGL and Hunter Hayes both will get pushes in October ... leaders of the next wave ...

Better lead, follow or get out of the way!