Why does Europeans never want to listen to country music?

to answer the thread title question - it is because country music is shit.

You just wiped out almost a century's worth of very diverse music with one word. Congrats!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paa2NRBA7eU

real country appreciation in the UK is more underground than indie nowadays.

seriously though there's a hell of a lot of alt country indie schmindie love for wilco, ryan adams etc over here, but most fairly hip younguns just won't bother looking further than that unless there's an obvious indie connection or it's old stuff served up to them by hip sources (johnny cash and the like). yes there was huge country love in the 40s, 50s, 60s and with Dolly and a bunch of the outlaw stuff after that, but nowadays when country artists do come over and play it's a pretty funny and definitely "uncool" mixture of people at the shows, lots of slightly older people, some really funny townie people in cowboy hats who know more brad paisley lyrics than i'd assume a lot of american would who've obviously been turned onto random country acts via the internet, all very unfashionable but these people are genuinely into it so have a great time at the shows.

2 major reasons why more mainstream country stuff isn't as big as it possibly could be in the UK nowadays-

1. most of the artists are on major record labels - in the states they're being pushed by country subsidiaries like capital nashville or at least by product managers at majors who know how to push things to country radio etc and have an obvious audience to promote to. However there's nothing like that in the UK - so for a lot of big acts the people told to promote them here either don't know how or don't think it's worth the effort as 'there's no country audience in the UK' (the fact that audiences have to be created and nurtured probably doesn't cross many minds). in the last few years some huge country albums just haven't been released, or have taken years to come out here - because the UK labels either saw no point in releasing them or released them with no promo push. i'm totally convinced if someone put effort into really pushing some of the Rascal Flatts or Keith Urban singles to mainstream UK radio they would be huge over here.

2. a connected reason many don't come over to tour/promote is that the country audience has been so ill nurtured that touring isn't financially viable outside of a few big cities; thus it's pointless for big american acts to work hard to tour anywhere but in the USA - why would they switch from packed arenas in the USA to 1500 seaters in a few UK cities where often their albums aren't even available?

also people have lousy taste - and aaaalso there's still a lot of post-Deliverance/Easy Rider prejudice against the south/southern culture that is probably deeply embedded in people's minds along with Achey Breakey Heart and other assorted bad shit that puts people off. country is really not cool, and you know people love being cool. These factors are probably just as prevalent in the U.S. actually, but still play a part.

is there any well-known country artist that DOES take the time to tour at all in the u.k. or europe? i would think someone like willie nelson would draw just as a pop icon kinda thing. or dolly even. the living legend thing. someone must go over there!

I know Dolly does shows but does she really still do long tours...? I know Willie does. that dude puts out an album every year.

is there any well-known country artist that DOES take the time to tour at all in the u.k. or europe?

Well, Taylor Swift...

and my parents went to a Dolly P show here (Norway) maybe two years ago, so yes.

a hoy hoy

They're probably the exceptions actually in both playing the UK at least once ever few years, not sure about europe.

Taylor is the obvious pop crossover exception; we'll see how that lasts in 5-10 years when some of the fairweather friends have grown out of her a bit I guess

other than that there are maybe 5-10 (at the most) mainstream country acts per year in London, and they probably only do a Manchester show and possibly an Irish date too at a stretch. actually maybe someone Irish on here can confirm but i'd assume it still sells okay over there - there seemed to be lots of Irish people holidaying in and around Nashville every time i've been.

Most relatively successful US country acts play a limited number of shows if they come over but they tend to be fairly well-paying, i'd say. For example, they might not sell out Wembley Arena but quite a lot of them play places like the Royal Albert Hall where they can target a relatively affluent fan. I'd guess most of us wouldn't necessarily know if Rascal Flatts, for example, were touring here - the shows are usually advertised in unfashionable places (Culture section of Sunday Times / Daily Mail, etc) and don't get picked up for review often.

It's worth remembering that BBC Radio 2 still draws an enormous audience and they'll always have at least a few modern country songs on the playlist. They also have a dedicated country show aimed at more traditional fans. Taylor Swift aside, not much is going to chart high but they probably sell a reasonable number of albums.

Some of the typical mainstream acts are popular enough here to get these weird special made compilations

http://cdn.7static.com/static/img/sleeveart/00/008/659/0000865957_350.jpg

The above has been heavily advertised on TV and probably sold a lot.

taylor swift audience at shepherds bush last year was completely different to every other country show i've been to in London at least - seemed to be 95% young girls, 4.9% parents, 0.05% music biz people, 0.05% me and the wife and a few other random people.

Shepherds bush empire or hammersmith apollo seem to be the common places - i'm thinking its probably the same promoter who does
the work on those shows.

latest Rascal Flatts album hasn't been released here and they've not played here for an age, if at all.

oh come on what about the 0.05% perverts

xp

i'm a definite pervert.

worse pervert count for any show i've been to = vanessa carlton at shepherds bush empire. entire front row were middle aged fat guys.

ew

I think Kris Kristofferson tours Europe a fair bit?

yeah i saw him late last year, was great. I think he has enough 60s/folk/pop/rock/movie crossover action to bypass the country stigma though, and again very old audience at that show, all 50 and 60 somethings

I would guess it also doesn't help country's popularity in Europe that it seems to be very popular among a particular group of Americans (you know, Southern religious far right conservatives) that basically doesn't exist in Europe at all. We have far right working class people here too, but they are not by far as linked to fundamentalist Christianity that the American right seems to be. Thus, even supporters of far right populist parties in Europe don't really feel like they have much in common with the stereotypical Southern US country fan.

basically doesn't exist in Europe at all

lol

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/National_Front_at_gay_pride_2007.jpg

"The Progress Party currently regards itself to be a "libertarian people's party",[93] and its ideology to be classical liberalism[2] or conservative liberalism.[94] The party identifies itself in the preamble of its platform as a libertarian party, built on Norwegian and Western traditions and cultural heritage, with a basis in a Christian understanding of life and humanist values.[93] Its main declared goal is a strong reduction in taxes and government intervention.["

no similarities there, nope

Comparing a marginal extremist movement in the UK to a very mainstream culture in the American south feels a bit pointless, really. In Texas, the typical average white man on the street hates gay people and black people. It's not like that anywhere in Western Europe (although it may occur in certain Eastern European countries)

how about this nazi-sympathesizing pederast-protecting far right asshole:

http://theislamicstandard.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/evil-pope1.jpg

In Texas, the typical average white man on the street hates gay people and black people

oh do tell

Shakey: I sincerely hate the Progress Party, but it is very far from Christian fundamentalism. For instance, it has a very liberal view upon alcohol politics.

Mind you, I didn't say the far right doesn't exist in Europe, but it's actually more anti-religion than pro-religion in a lot of ways. Particularly if religion means Islam.

For instance, it has a very liberal view upon alcohol politics.

so do most southern racist christian fundamentalists FYI

Surely, there are definitely lots of similarities between supporters of European populist right wing parties, like both appeal most of all to what could easily be defined as white trash. But the view upon religion is very different. And also, most (not all) Western European populist right wing parties are considerably less outspoken homophobes than the American right wing is. I cannot quite imagine right wing Americans using gay rights as a (in this case, cheap) argument against Islam, but the European right wing often does.

That said, Progress Party is probably the most popular party of choice amongs Norwegian country fans. So surely, there is a link there.

rmde

i leave for 5 mins and GEIRBOMB.

The majority of mainstream US country doesn't have any really obvious evangelic push. There's some sentimental god bothering but thats really not the reason for the suggested lack of worldwide success.

In Texas, the typical average white man on the street hates gay people and black people.

Which street is this?

just to again reiterate that country and western is huge in rural ireland, tho most of the 'stars' are local and not yanks.

Kris kristofferson plays two or three times a year just in mayo tho.

In Texas, the typical average white man on the street hates gay people and black people.

I'm not proud of rural regions like East Texas or the Panhandle where this may be true, but the mayor of the largest city is an lesbian, and it may be the most racially and culturally diverse large city (by fraction) in the nation. And even the rural areas used to be remarkably progressive, the civil rights movement only succeeded after a progressive Texan became president.

I really doubt that the percentage of white texan men who actively "hate" black people is even in the double digits.

As a white man in Texas, I felt it my duty to SB Geir. Let's avoid jumping to conclusions about places you've never been please.

Why does Finns hate Texans?

Geir figures if he calls other people racist nobody will notice that he's actually the racist

otm

You people have a completely wrong idea about who racists are. The archetypical racist is a white working class man with no education and hardly no IQ who hates black people because he feels threatened by them. Middle or upper class people are never racists.

personal best

cool theory

Geir, are you ever drunk while posting on ILM?

norwegian moonshine! he's loaded on it!

Due to the very high taxation of alcohol, moonshine production primarily from potatoes and sugar continues to be a popular, albeit illegal, activity in various parts of the country. Moonshining occurs in the Mid- and North-Norwegian regions in particular and rural areas in general. Norwegian moonshine is called "hjemmebrent" or "heimebrent" (which translates into English as "home-burnt") and sometimes also "heimkok"/"himkok" (meaning "home-cooked") or "heimert"/"himert" (slang) in Norwegian, and the mash is called "sats". In rural parts of eastern Norway, it is also refered to as "ni-seks"(meaning "nine-six", refering to the alcohol content, 96% ABV) as a common moonshine variant is rectified spirits from potatoes. In the county of Telemark mash is also referred to as "bæs". In the old days on Finnskogen they called the mash Skogens vin ("Wine of the forest"), a name used by poorer people without access to distilling equipment. When talking to foreigners, some Norwegians use the term "something local" about their moonshine. In Norway, moonshine is commonly mixed with coffee, and sometimes a spoon of sugar. This drink is known as karsk, and has a special tie to the mid- and north-Norwegian regions, but is also enjoyed elsewhere. A common joke is that the traditional mixture was made by brewing the strongest, blackest coffee possible, then putting a 5 Øre piece (a copper coin of size and color of a pre-decimalization English penny, no longer in circulation) in a cup. Add coffee to the cup until the coin can no longer be seen, then add hjemmebrent, straight from the still until the coin can again be seen. Apple juice is also a common beverage for mixing, as it is said to "kill the taste" of bad moonshine.

i've had this before. woooooooooooooooooooweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. drunk as a skunk. poured it in my coffee.

I had a foreigner on slsk IM me to discuss country/folk yesterday. We had a long conversation