Society has gotten slightly better.

Country Music on the Decline

What really strikes me are the gross misinterpretation of the statistics. So CD sales in general have been down (due to the rising popularity of personal mp3 and media players,) but that doesn't detract from the fact that there were 400,000 less country music albums sold in 2006 than in 2005.

The really gross part is the attribution of great artists of 2006 to the country genre in general. The #2 band listed is Johnny Cash (the only good person able to be labeled "country.") This is obviously due to the wonderful movie Walk The Line, including soundtrack and DVD sales, and obviously box sets and past albums by Johnny Cash. It really has nothing to do with whether he's "country" or not.

What's my gripe with country? Everything. It isn't good music. And music isn't just music. Following a distinct sound and pattern in all the theory and structure of your attempt at music isn't music. And following patterns is what country is.
One time at work, when the radio was turned on, a country song came on. I politely asked my coworker the band who made the song. The reply?
"Keith Urban" (with a very puzzled look on their face, as if I should have known.)
I'm sorry, coworker, but it sounds like any other country singer. And the very basic chord progressions and drum tracks sounded like any other country band.
And ballads for lyrics is like putting a golf ball in a blender. Stupid.

Here's to a successful year at making the country music industry slightly less successful. Hopefully we as a nation can do better in 07'.
/rant.