Country Goes to China, New York and Hollywood

Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville

God Bless Taylor Swift! Could her sales of nearly 700,000 come at a better time? Taylor's in Hollywood for the American Music Awards on ABC ... our only Country music representative.

This week her international sales guy said she seemed more Miley and Avril than Country. That's about right. Who cares! This purity thing can only go so far. Country is an industry that's one huge tent, which stretches from Little Jimmy Dickens to Kid Rock. There seem to be three kinds of popular music now. The teen pop, country and whatever 50 cent and TPain and folks like that are. The sales for everything pretty much stinks, but as a genre of performers we have a wide berth.

I like a little of it all. Human iTunes, iPod. Aren't most music lovers cafeteria folks? We like a little of a lot. Nothing bad about that.

XM ... .not sure what I'm feeling. My dial is sure different and some of my shows are getting screwed around. I'm sort of an unhappy customer down from a very happy customer. Just still out though. Change is always troubling. The Elvis channel ... hmm ... E street channel ... hmm ... .some good things ... just don't mess with any of my talk and '60s on 6!

Natalie Maines is on Howard Stern. Interesting. I have been listening to him again. They get too filthy and I have to go. The Country stuff: heard commercials and some bad morning show. Never did figure out what that was. Like I said, jury is out and I still don't think HD radio is going to win that battle. The car industry is such a mess and that hurts both.

Country festivals are booking their shows and the names are getting out. Tim McGraw is all over in 2009. Let's assume he will have some new music. George Strait is booked for several in Canada and Wisconsin. Brad is out in January and February and some Summer stuff too ... sounds like everyone is working in 2009. I hope the fans have money to attend! That is a real issue in pre-sale, I bet!

The Martina McBride/Elvis Blue Christmas video is amazing. Star Wars effects perfect. Elvis.com has it on the front page. Great!

The Bama Jam goes to the People's Republic of China story is very interesting. What do they like? Are they Taylor Swift or Opry? Who knows? What a good move, though. Can't hurt and could be the biggest story since the CD's invention, if the music takes root. How many people live there?

Music City part-time resident (more full-time all the time) Nicole Kidman's "Australia" was really good. I was pleasantly surprised. Something for the men and women. Action and love story. Oscar bound but not a winner ... still should be going to the dance for that kind of deserved attention.

Pat Green's new CD is out late January. He's still one thing away from being a big deal all over. So close.

Not sure where all this economic chaos is going to take us. Not a ride this winter anyone wants to take. Very uncertain times. Country music needs the car, folks. No layoffs around the industry, but these folks have been lean for a bit now. Let's hope for a miracle soon. We don't want to watch this play out to the really bad part of the story. You sure see a lot of tours planned. Tickets offered just like nothing is going on ... we shall see, won't we?