ive mentioned before and I’ll say it again, country music is a thriving genre in its own. It may not be in “mainstream” MTV media, how ever its got its own channel for that. CMTV or country music television, or the CMC, country music channel as it is also known as. The channel is on air 24 hours a day. Austar & Foxtel Digital. CMC is Australia’s only dedicated full time national country outlet, featuring the biggest stars country music has to offer. CMC is available in over 1.2 Million homes via Austar (in regional areas) and Foxtel Digital (in metro areas). The channel itself covers a wide range of the country music genre with diffrent programmes focusing on different aspects of the country music genre. Includeing the Country Music Awards, top 30 countdown, Australian music, American Music, Country by Request, new songs, and so on and so forth. Looking at this channel I thougght it was interesting in the coverage that country music is getting on the television. An entire televsion station devoted to the promotion of this “forgotten genre” CMC portrays how there is more to country music than naisel twangy guitar sound that is commonly associated with country music from city perspectives. Also looking more into this project i’m starting to think that country music is a mainstream genre in a world of its own. Maybe not with in the commercial stations of pop music, but as the term “mainstream” is defind as “The prevailing current or direction of a movement or influence” with in certain areas of society, looking at country music is quite mainstream with in certain communities and is a world of its own.
Looking at www.country.com.au which is home page to The country music association of australia, also provides links to the many radio programes with in Australia or NSW alone which is devoted to country music, and are spoken about as the current popular culture. As music is a personal view its interesting to see what is considered popular or mainstream with in different communities with in Australia. Country music i feel is not a sub culture of music but is a culture of its own!
I would consider country music to be a part of the mainstream, but I do not think it is as high up in the mainstream as other genres. Country music does have some popular songs and artists, but I believe it is still overlooked for everything that it has to offer. Country music is a huge genre that needs to be explored and have all of its ’secrets’ (like the Aboriginal country music) brought to the forefront for everyone to see. The country genre has so much more to offer than what is known right now.
Its true, it is a genre that is over looked, as its a world of its own i think people are frightend of the unknown, and the stereotypes that go with it!