MICK GREEN tells you about

COUNTRY MUSIC & MORE’S FUTURE

I HAVE been writing about country music for more than 40 years and, hard though it is to admit it, there comes a time when you realise that things must come to an end—I feel that I have reached that point with the magazine.

As I have got older the country music stars of today have got younger and over the past few years I fail to get excited with the new music that is currently coming out—but I don’t think it is just an age thing!

When we first started publishing a hard copy country music magazine we got up to two full pages of advertising for major label record releases each month, then there were the major country music festivals like Wembley and Peterborough who supported the scene with advertising. Plus major holiday companies like Butlin’s and Pontin’s. All of these seem to have disappeared.

This year, and we are nearly into October, I think I can count on one hand the number of record releases by major country music stars in Britain. The whole scene has changed and not always for the best. I know Glen Campbell (above) is about to tour but in the ‘60s and ‘70s we had regular tours by country artists who had charted here in Britain. That can’t happen now because today’s stars no longer chart or make any impression on the Brit public.

Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, etc, couldn’t get arrested in our country but Glen, Dolly, Billie Jo, Tammy, Kenny Rogers, Slim Whitman and those of that ilk were household names who put on huge theatre tours.

On our Brit scene in those days you never got on to a major stage unless you had a full band, nowadays one man and his backing machine are seen all the time and I would say that three quarters of the acts we see at the clubs are solos or duos. I play myself so realise that much of this is because of financial necessity but to me it is like have a car with a 50cc engine!

This year the British Country Music Association announced that it was closing and I think that says a lot about country music in Britain. There are no longer major international country music festivals in the U.K. I know Ireland had a big one a couple of months ago but the main headliner was in his 70s! And not one artist that appeared had charted in the American country music charts in the past couple of years.

Both Brian Ahern (my main helper) and I are in our 70s and we know our best days (and country music in Britain’s best days) are now behind us. To be honest I don’t like much of what they call country music today but I have thousands of country music tracks that I love so can always find something great to listen to or play.

I am not sure what will happen to this site. I plan to keep it as a Country Music & More holiday site. I will be taking tours in 2009 and George Pick intends to continue then in future years. I may keep a festival guide in the new format but am not sure yet. But I certainly am not keeping the magazine in the present format and changing it regularly. What is the point when so few records are released and so few major stars tour?

Many of you, I know, have been readers since we started and I thank you for your support. I’ve been lucky in being able to make a living out of something I love but all things must come to an end so I have decided to jump before I am pushed!

Cheers!