Is It Still Country? Asking for a 42-Year Radio Vet

I'm looking for a little help. I've been in country radio for 42 years, and I don't understand most of what gets played on the air anymore.

I understand George Strait, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, and Tim McGraw getting played. Shaboozey, not so much. Also, am I the only one who doesn’t think Dan & Shay are country?

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Then you have the award shows where Chris Stapleton wins a lot of trophies but doesn’t get corresponding airtime. On the flip side, you’ve got Morgan Wallen getting his songs played every hour, but he doesn’t win the awards he should. In his case, I’m guessing it goes back to the racial slur he made to a friend that somebody filmed and posted.

Post Malone and Lainey Wilson seem to be putting out the right kind of country. Post Malone has gotten to collaborate with some of the biggest stars in the business, while Lainey is writing great stuff, is hot, and being on Yellowstone didn’t hurt her any (even though her boyfriend is going south with the cattle to avoid brucellosis on the Dutton Ranch).

And for those of you who are still buying music, where are you getting it? Amazon Music? Pandora? Satellite?

All I know for sure is that when we walk in the door a little before 5, people know they’ll get songs played, birthdays announced, dedications made, or questions answered. We’re still pretty old-school around here.