SkimIt
Asking whether or not country can be saved from its modern incarnation is itself a loaded question. It assumes that as a genre it has moved somewhere undesirable; somewhere where the likes of Townes Van Zandt or Hank Williams would be foreign. Somewhere darkly cynical and commercial contrasting the humble roots the genre hails from. However, this is not the case. There is no reason to save country music because to do so is to deny this era the rights given to everyone before.
Radio: Not As Evil As You Think
When this kind of argument crops up, the finger of blame is first pointed at radio. The argument is that the DJs on these stations are part of some wide ranging conspiracy to destroy music. To make it empty and easy to swallow for the masses. Although it is true that some of the companies that own major radio stations also own the labels putting out said music, they are really only giving us what we ask for. You see, America is a capitalist nation, where whatever people spend money on is what gets manufactured. So to blame radio or major record labels for killing music is (1) a generalization and (2) pointing the finger in the wrong direction. To call them out without allowing some of the blame to be placed on you or your peers is outrageous: some popular acts, like Jason Aldean or Miranda Lambert are genuinely talented. Just because you dislike their sound doesn't make the music worse and likewise doesn't mean the genre is dying.
The Music is Appealing
In nearly every popular country song of this year (and many years previous) there is a specific character outline being provided. One who doesn't want for the big city, with its lights, noise, and political correctness. Someone who loves sitting in the back of their truck after a long day's work enjoying a cold beer with their dog. It conjures an idyllic version of the American way that as the years wear on seems further and further in the rear-view every day. With all of the bitterness and violence we are exposed to every day is it any wonder that this wholesome escape is so popular? The music catches a lot of flak for being over-commercial as well, as if each song is a plug for Toby Keith's restaurant or John Deere or whatever. But at heart we are a nation of commerce, particularly in the heartland states where country reigns supreme. So is it so terrible that the music which attempts to define the values of the heartland has a certain amount of commercialism?
There is a whole world of music outside of radio and these days all you have to do to access it is reach for your space-phone, so making a stink out of what's popular isn't helping your cause at all. Live your life how you see fit and let the rest of Americans do the same. Just recognize that the differences between our country music and the Country and Western sound of the 1940s and '50s are vast, and they're not going away. Nobody expects a musical genre to stay the same for 60 years and I don't think anybody would want it to, either.
