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2007 Country Music News Review

Monday, December 31, 2007

In part two of the 2007 review, lets take a look at the events of the year, briefly as possible.

Generally, in music this year...

Digital downloading was a common theme through out the 2007 year; CD sales were down almost 15% while download sales were up 45% in the year. At the same time sales were soaring, the RIAA was in the middle of a lawsuit that won them a $222,000 judgment against a downloader. Also, EMI removes DRM (copyright protection technology) from their downloaded tracks and Amazon begins to sell them, after months of rumors. Other labels also announced they are testing and considering removing the content protection technology.

Hannah Montana brings the issue of fan club ticket pre-sales and ticket brokers to the spotlight in 2007. Ticketmaster sues re-sellers for using software applications to buy tickets for shows. Online fan club members sued the fan club over the broken promise of being able to have access to pre-sale tickets. So very many country music artists these days have fan clubs of this type, and in the upcoming year, an impact could be seen intensely in country music, pending the outcome.

In October, Madonna makes a one-of-a-kind deal that could set prescience in other artist of her talent level and demand. A deal worth reportedly $120 million over 10 years, Live Nation signed her to an all inclusive deal, a first deal of this type. Studio albums, tours, television, fan club, merchandising, website, and more are all in this business deal. Time will tell if there other deals of this type in the works and what country music artists are in demand for this type of deal.

Turning to country music in 2007,

Garth Brooks takes the headlines this year with the release of the hit single "More Than a Memory" that debuted at #4, tying his own record for highest ranked debut single. The success continued with the "Ultimate Hits" 2 CD and 1 DVD set that included 4 new singles and 30 classic songs, including 33 videos on DVD. To top off the year, Brooks performed 9 history making live performances at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. The final of the shows also was broadcasted via satellite to movie theaters all over the country with such demand that an encore was broadcasted the following night.

In a related story, it was another year where the independent artists had a strong hold on country music. Artists like Garth Brooks (Pearl Records,) Taylor Swift (Big Machine Records,) Jason Aldean (Broken Bow Records,) Rodney Atkins (Curb,) and Tracy Lawrence (Rocky Comfort) all had a strong year on their independent labels, giving strong competition to the major labels.

It's been 28 years since the last album from The Eagles, 2007 turned to be very successful for them including an appearance on the CMA Awards and the release of their Wal-Mart exclusive album. It led to Billboard changing the policy on their charts to allow exclusive retail sales to be included on the charts, giving the album the #1 spot on the Billboard 200.

In April, the former home of one of country music's greatest legends, Johnny Cash, burns down as country music fans watch the video and pictures from the Nashville media.

Divorce, unfortunately, this year seemed to be a common theme. Terri Clark, Wynonna Judd, Sara Evans, and Lorrie Morgan are among the names that filed for divorce this year. However, there were happier times for Joe Nichols, Phillip Sweet, JoDee Messina, Clay Walker, Darryl Worley, T.G. Sheppard, and Gary Morris all married this year.

The Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 82nd Birthday, and invited 3 new members in 2007, including Mel Tillis, Josh Turner, and Charlie Daniels. XM Radio began broadcasts of the Grand Ole Opry, bringing the Opry back to satellite radio

Not all was happy though around the Grand Ole Opry House this year.

Given permission to be pursued this past week, and filed earlier this year by Stonewall Jackson, an age discrimination lawsuit was filed against Gaylord Entertainment and Opry General Manager Pete Fisher. The first day of 2007, Del Reeves died of emphysema at age 74, even though it had been August of 2002 since he performed on the Opry stage. Reeves had been a member since 1966. The entire music community came together when music legend Porter Wagoner died on October 28, 2007 at the age of 80 from lung cancer. His rhinestone suits, 50 years of Opry performances, his television performances, and songs like "The Carroll County Accident" this Country Music Hall of Fame and Opry Member will never be forgotten. Also, among the deaths this year included honky-tonk legend Hank Thompson in November.

No year would complete without the recap of arrests, Mindy McCready was sentenced to a year in jail for probation violations, Willie Nelson started probation for 6 months and paid a fine for his remarkable first conviction of marijuana possession, Troy Gentry has learned about probation and paying fines (a $15,000 lesson, Nelson's was only just over $1,000) over his bear trapping incident from 2004, and finally Jonny Rodriguez was arrested for drug possession.

From the awards, The Dixie Chicks win 5 Grammy's; Kenny Chesney is awarded the CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year, and Vince Gill, Ralph Emery, and Mel Tillis become Country Music Inductees this past year.

When stopping to think about it, it has been quiet a busy 2007 for country music.

Country Music 2007 Review: The Charts

Sunday, December 30, 2007

This year, I thought I would divide the year in review into the three major parts. Part One- The Charts (tonight). Part Two- The News (31st). Part Three- Commentary (1st). Then, There will be commentary and predictions upcoming around the 2nd of January.

First is the cut and dry chart sampling...
All chart information obtained from Billboard Magazine dated 12/22/2007 and can be located on Billboard's Website

Billboard Top Artists
8 of the Top 50 Artists of 2007 are country music artists (16%)

5. Carrie Underwood
14. Rascal Flatts
23. Tim McGraw
28. Brad Paisley
31. Taylor Swift
32. Kenny Chesney
44. Keith Urban
45. Sugarland

Billboard Top 10 Male Artists
2 of the top 10 overall male artists were country artists. (20%)
8. Tim McGraw
10. Brad Paisley

Billboard Top 10 Female Artists
2 of the top 10 overall male artists were country artists. (20%)
2. Carrie Underwood
10. Taylor Swift

Billboard Top 10 Groups
1 of the top 10 overall groups were country artists. (10%)
3. Rascal Flatts

Billboard Top 10 Independent Artists
5 of the top 10 overall male artists were country artists. (50%)
1. Jason Aldean
4. Little Big Town
5. The Eagles
6. Garth Brooks
10. Tracy Lawrence

Billboard Top Country Albums
1. Some Hearts Carrie Underwood Arista Nashville
2. Me and My Gang Rascal Flatts Lyric Street
3. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift Big Machine
4. Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Thing Keith Urban Capitol Nashville
5. Enjoy The Ride Sugarland Mercury Nashville

Billboard Top Country Songs
1. Watching You Rodney Atkins Curb
2. Good Directions Billy Currington Mercury Nashville
3. Never Wanted Anything More Kenny Chesney BNA
4. These Are My People Rodney Atkins Curb
5. Take Me There Rascal Flatts Lyric Street

Billboard Top Country Male Artists
1. Tim McGraw
2. Kenny Chesney
3. Brad Paisley
4. Keith Urban
5. George Strait

Billboard Top Country Female Artists
1. Carrie Underwood
2. Taylor Swift
3. Martina McBride
4. Reba McEntire
5. Kellie Pickler

Billboard Top Country Groups
1. Rascal Flatts
2. Sugarland
3. Montgomery Gentry
4. Brooks & Dunn
5. The Eagles

Billboard Top Imprints
1. Arista Nashville
2. Curb Records
3. MCA-Nashville
4. Capitol Nashville
5. Lyric Street

TOTAL MUSIC SALES
Albums Sales: 442,476,000 -14.8%
Digital Download Sales 766,256,000 +45.8%
Single Sales: 2,048,000 -41.6%

Total Sales 1,210,780,000 +15.5%


Billboard Top Tours
4 of the 25 top concert tours were country. (25%)

4. Kenny Chesney 71.2 million
8. Tim McGraw & Faith Hill 52.3 million
10. Rascal Flatts 41.6 million
17. Toby Keith 35.1 million

Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas to all of those who read my writings through out the year, and I hope that each and every one of you take the time to remember the true meaning of Christmas...

Gary Allan "Watching Airplanes" Video

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Enjoy the video...


"Clash of the Choirs" contd.

Well, well, well. Country music fans, you did it. Blake Shelton was still around to perform. Tonight's show sounds like it may be the best of the 4 nights to me. So be sure to tune in and remember to vote country music fans, if you think Blake is the best, be sure to keep him going into Thursday's final show.

Clash of the Choirs

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Did you catch the premiere episode of "Clash of the Choirs" last night?

Blake Shelton's choir gave a respectable performance, but I'm not really sure why he had his guitar with him! He was the leader of the choir and should be directing rather than playing or getting the crowd involved like it was his concert.

I must give him a lot of credit though; he certainly gave the viewer some great laughs and overall, did very well. However, the other choirs just were a few levels above him. When you have talent like Michael Bolton and Patti LaBelle to compete against, well there isn't much of a chance.

Just as I thought from the beginning of seeing the previews, this show is designed for the true music lover. I am so excited about this 4-day series, and can't wait to see what happens tonight. Even if it probably will be the last night for Oklahoma City and Blake Shelton. But then again, country music fans are strong in numbers and in their support, we will just have to watch and see.

Remember to vote for your favorite choir when the show completes by phone or online.

"Clash of the Choirs" continues tonight on NBC 8-9pm EST, followed by the season finale to "The Biggest Loser." Check out the Official NBC website for more information on "Clash of the Choirs"

Country Music Alive Menu

Sunday, December 16, 2007

I just noticed a major problem with my website. The menu is gone. I tried replacing it, but that didn't do anything... so, I am working on the problem and hopefully in the next day or so, a menu will be back!

If you visit the website and see any problems, please e-mail me.

White House Christmas Video Features Alan Jackson

Always is it a little fun treat to see the White House Christmas Video, known as the Baneycam.

This year's features the 2 Bush dogs wanting to become Junior Park Rangers. At the end, you will see a familiar country music artist. Alan Jackson congratulates the dogs Barney and Miss Beazley on becoming Junior Park Rangers, along with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Here is the link to watch:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/2007/barneycam.html

Alan Jackson has also announced his next album will be released March 4th, and will be titled "Good Time" featuring a duet with Martina McBride and the first single will be a tribute song to Jackson's father titled "Small Town Southern Man."

Chris Cagle Cited For Misdemeanor Assault

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Country star Cagle accused of post-concert punch | www.azstarnet.com ®

Chris Cagle has been charged with a Class 3 Misdemeanor Assault charge after a charity concert in Tucson, AZ. He is accused of punching a boyfriend of a fan after an altercation that is apparently after Cagle refused to sign anymore autographs for her, having already signed several items and had been escorted out of the venue. The male did not recieve any medical treatment and his hat was knocked off after the punch to the face.

An officer saw what appeared to be an argument at his tour bus and investigated and Cagle approached the officer about the incident. The victim press charges, even after the officer attempted to mediate the situation.

Now... I have no idea what took place, I only have the news article written about it and no information from Cagle's point of view, but I do see there is a problem with this. At no time should an artist result to physical force in dealing with a fan. From the reports, it sure sounds like the fan and her boyfriend were a problem. A fan should never act the way it sounds like they were from the reports either. Neither side of this were anywhere close being in the right.

Hopefully as time goes on, we will learn Cagle's side of this event and I can make a true opinion. However, from what I've read, both were in the wrong and neither should have acted in the way they did.

Whatever did happen, this type of event is a scar on country music, all types of celebrities encounter these types of events occuring, but it isn't the normal in any way in country music. Country music artists are known for their intense dedication to their fans, and Cagle knows that I'm sure. However, it is also a two way street. The fans respect the artists and they respect us. These two so called fans, do not reflect 99.9% of the fans of country music.

Another Country Radio Station

The day after I did the blog on the current number of country radio stations, I see some news, and it comes from the neighboring radio market to Richmond, VA.

WNRJ Norfolk-Virginia Beach is changing its format from Hot Adult Contemporary to Country!

I like news like that, thats for sure. Hopefully, there will be more news like that in the upcoming year from around the country.

Country Music Dominates Radio

Friday, December 14, 2007

I bet the everyday radio listener couldn't name the style of music that has the most radio stations in the United States. You are probably thinking Top 40 or Adult Contemporary... but since I'm writing about it, you know those answers aren't right.

Here are the numbers that I found in an article in the Washington Post, posted 12/14/2007 6:40pm titled "Country Music Dominates U.S. Radio in 2007 written by Billboard/Reuters featuring information from M Street)

1. Country (2,054 stations +5 stations in 2007)
2. News/Talk (2,026 +18 stations)
3. Contemporary Christian (920 stations +23 stations)
4. Spanish (917 stations +98 stations)
5. Adult Contemporary (666 stations)
6. Top 40 (495 stations -15 stations)
7. Hot Adult Contemporary (392 stations +8 stations)
8. Alternative Rock (385 stations)
9. Southern Gospel (316 stations +15 stations)
10. Rock (300 stations +9 stations)

Pretty cool huh? No music-based format even comes close to the power of country music radio. Wouldn't it be nice in 2007 that country grew even more... I sure hope so. Maybe this time of year next year, we will be up 10,15 stations.

One thing did concern mer. News/Talk stations increased almost 500 stations in the last 10 years. In the same time frame, country music format stations have declined by more than 450. That is something to be concerned about. That trend has to be reversed. Country radio is so very important to promotion, awareness, and continued sales of music.

More about this topic later on... of course.

Opry Video Classics

TimeLife.com

Myyyy goodness. If you are a fan of the classic country music and the Grand Ole Opry, there is a DVD set that is out now that you must own.

The Opry Video Classics DVD set from Time Life will absolutely excite you.

"Opry Video Classics" will make any true country music fan real happy this Christmas. This is a 8 DVD set. Each DVD has a different theme: Duets, Hall of Fame, Honky-Tonk Heroes, Songs that Topped the Charts, Legends, Love Songs, Pioneers, and Queens of Country.

Each DVD in the set includes an introduction from Marty Stuart that talks very briefly about what you will be seeing. Then, you have 15 performances that are from the Purina Grand Ole Opry (1955-1956 on ABC,) or Pet Milk Grand Ole Opry (1960-1963 on WSM-TV,) or National Life Grand Ole Opry (1965 in black and white, 1966 began color on WSM-TV,) or That Gool Ole Nashville Music (began in 1985 on TNN.) Each DVD also has a exclusive bonus interviews with Grand Ole Opry stars that really give an incredible insight into the music.

What you will see are true classic performances, historical in nature. Cowboy Copas, Willie Nelson, Ernet Tubb, Grandpa Jones, Patsy Cline, Bill Anderson, and so many more. It is truly amazing what is on this set. The interviews showcase artists like Jean Shepard, Porter Wagoner, Jim Ed Brown, and Little Jimmy Dickens to name a few.

Now, this isn't made for the teenager or only new country fan, rather the fans of country music that love the music of today, and really understand, or what to understand, the history of the music. Now, don't be scared that its too expensive. You get all 8 DVDs in a nice DVD collection box for $119.96. Trust me, for what you get to experience, it is worth much more than that.

If you know someone that is a music lover of real classic country music and enjoys the Grand Ole Opry, this better be under the tree.

"All Wrapped Up In Christmas" Tracy Lawrence

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Just a little Christmas music for you to enjoy...

Gibson Robot Guitar

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

I am not a musician, never have been able to learn to play an instrument, though tried a few times. However, I love music, as you all well know. A few weeks ago, someone sent me an e-mail about a new guitar that has hit stores.

It is the world's 1st run limited edition version of the Gibson Les Paul Robot Guitar. As special edition, only 10 per store, the guitar has the ability to tune itself. I could try to explain it to you, but I don't think I would do a good job!

Even if you know nothing about guitars, it certainly is interesting at what is going on in the musical instrument industry with advancing technology. Go the below website and take a look around... I found the video on instructions how to use it very cool to see.

http://www.gibson.com/robotguitar/

Blake Shelton on 'Clash of the Choirs'

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Music lovers get ready. Country music lovers get ready to pull and vote for the country music artist.

'Clash of the Choirs' is a live four-night musical event coming to NBC in December 17th. "Clash of the Choirs," has tapped five musical superstars -- Michael Bolton, Patti LaBelle, Nick Lachey, Kelly Rowland and Blake Shelton -- to embark on a musical challenge as they return to their hometowns to assemble an amateur choir and prepare them to compete live in studio for the title of America's best choir. The show will feature music genres ranging from current pop hits to holiday classics. The choir hopefuls will be judged each night by viewers watching at home.


For more information, visit http://www.nbc.com/Clash_of_the_Choirs/

The Grammy Nominations Thoughts

Monday, December 10, 2007

Its that time of year, the list of Grammy Award nominations have been released... the full list is in the above post.

Each of the categories have some real tough competition. Quiet impressive, I must say. The category that caught my eye though is Best Male Vocal Performance. I am glad I don't have to vote on that one... Each of those songs are great representations of the past year's male country music performances and each of them are just country perfection.

The biggest surprise on the list I think is The Time Jumpers with two nominations. Wow, well, you probably don't know the group, but The Time Jumpers is a Western Swing band comprised of eleven of Nashville's finest studio musicians and vocalists: Kenny Sears (fiddle/vocal), Joe Spivey (fiddle), Aubrey Haynie (fiddle), John Hughey (steel guitar Hall of Fame member), Dennis Crouch (bass), Andy Reiss (guitar), Rick Vanaugh (drums), Jeff Taylor (accordion), Carolyn Martin (vocals), Dawn Sears (vocals) and "Ranger Doug" Green (rhythm guitarist/vocalist of “Riders in the Sky” fame). This is the cool thing about the Grammy Awards. The voters appear to not take into account popularity or the biggest buzz artist, rather true talent. http://www.thetimejumpers.com/

Grammy Nominations List- Country Music Field

Field 8 — Country

Category 36

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

  • Simple Love
    Alison Krauss
    Track from: A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection
    [Rounder]
  • Famous In A Small Town
    Miranda Lambert
    Track from: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
    [Columbia Nashville]
  • Nothin' Better To Do
    LeAnn Rimes
    [Curb Records]
  • Before He Cheats
    Carrie Underwood
    Track from: Some Hearts
    [19 Recordings/Arista Nashville]
  • Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love
    Trisha Yearwood
    [Big Machine Records]

Category 37

Best Male Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

  • Long Trip Alone
    Dierks Bentley
    Track from: Long Trip Alone
    [Capitol Records Nashville]
  • A Woman's Love
    Alan Jackson
    Track from: Like Red On A Rose
    [Arista Nashville]
  • If You're Reading This
    Tim McGraw
    Track from: Let It Go
    [Curb Records]
  • Give It Away
    George Strait
    Track from: It Just Comes Natural
    [MCA Nashville]
  • Stupid Boy
    Keith Urban
    Track from: Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing
    [Capitol Records Nashville]

Category 38

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For established duos or groups with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

  • Proud Of The House We Built
    Brooks & Dunn
    [Arista Nashville]
  • How Long
    Eagles
    [Eagles Recording Co. II]
  • Moments
    Emerson Drive
    Track from: Countrified
    [Midas Records, Inc.]
  • Lucky Man
    Montgomery Gentry
    Track from: Some People Change
    [Columbia Nashville]
  • Sweet Memories
    The Time Jumpers
    Track from: Jumpin' Time
    [Crosswind]

Category 39

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

  • Days Aren't Long Enough
    Steve Earle & Allison Moorer
    Track from: Washington Square Serenade
    [New West Records]
  • Because Of You
    Reba McEntire & Kelly Clarkson
    [MCA Nashville]
  • I Need You
    Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
    Track from: Let It Go
    [Curb Records]
  • Lost Highway
    Willie Nelson & Ray Price
    Track from: Last Of The Breed
    [Lost Highway Records]
  • Oh Love
    Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood
    Track from: 5th Gear
    [Arista Nashville]

Category 40

Best Country Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

  • Little Monk
    Russ Barenberg
    Track from: When At Last
    [Compass Records]
  • Mucky The Duck
    The Greencards
    Track from: Viridian
    [Dualtone Music Group]
  • Throttleneck
    Brad Paisley
    Track from: 5th Gear
    [Arista Nashville]
  • Rawhide!
    Andy Statman
    Track from: East Flatbush Blues
    [Shefa Records]
  • Fidoodlin'
    The Time Jumpers
    Track from: Jumpin' Time
    [Crosswind]

Category 41

Best Country Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

  1. Before He Cheats
    Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
    Track from: Some Hearts
    [19 Recordings/Arista Nashville; Publishers: That Little House Music, Mighty Underdog Music/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing]
  2. Give It Away
    Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon & Jamey Johnson, songwriters (George Strait)
    Track from: It Just Comes Natural
    [MCA Nashville; Publishers: Sony/ATV Tree Publishing/Mr. Bubba Music, Run Slow Music, EMI Blackwood Music]
  3. I Need You
    Tony Lane & David Lee, songwriters (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill)
    Track from: Let It Go
    [Curb Records; Publishers: Careers-BMG Music Publishing/Nervous Worm Music/Famous Music/Ed And Lucille Songs]
  4. If You're Reading This
    Tim McGraw, Brad Warren & Brett Warren, songwriters (Tim McGraw)
    Track from: Let It Go
    [Curb Records; Publishers: Bucky And Clyde Music, Stylesonic Music]
  5. Long Trip Alone
    Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley & Steve Bogard, songwriters (Dierks Bentley)
    Track from: Long Trip Alone
    [Capitol Records Nashville; Publishers: Ensign Music/Rancho Papa Music/Home With The Armadillo Music, Big White Tracks]


Category 42

Best Country Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

  • Long Trip Alone
    Dierks Bentley
    [Capitol Records Nashville]
  • These Days
    Vince Gill
    [MCA Nashville]
  • Let It Go
    Tim McGraw
    [Curb Records]
  • 5th Gear
    Brad Paisley
    [Arista Nashville]
  • It Just Comes Natural
    George Strait
    [MCA Nashville]


Category 43

Best Bluegrass Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

  • Cherryholmes II Black And White
    Cherryholmes
    [Skaggs Family Records]
  • Lefty's Old Guitar
    J. D. Crowe & The New South
    [Rounder]
  • The Bluegrass Diaries
    Jim Lauderdale
    [Yep Roc Records]
  • Scenechronized
    Seldom Scene
    [Sugar Hill]
  • Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular
    Tony Trischka
    [Rounder]

Country Concert Price Comparison

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Ticket prices are too high. I hear it all the time it seems. Or, I tell someone that their favorite star is coming to their town and they say they can't go because it costs too much. I agree somewhat, I really think prices should be lower, however, I do also know the cost of living is outrageous. I also highly believe that all the many people that it takes to put on a concert tour should get paid for their talents. So, ticket prices are higher than a few years ago, but still, its a pretty good deal...especially for the country music fan.

Garth Brooks is a special situation, so I didn't include him in my research. His price for the past Kansas City shows was $32.50.

I love numbers. So lets play with some. This will prove to us that country music concerts are still cheaper than other shows. I just randomly clicked through Ticketmaster and obtained the prices for the Pollstar.com top 5 concerts this week. I picked out the 4 concerts listed in the top 50 and then added Rascal Flatts.

































Pollstar Top 5
Bon Jovi $49.50-132.50
Bruce Springsteen $65.00-95.00
Van Halen $47.75-147.75
Tool $45.50-75.00
Ozzy Osbourne $29.50-99.75
Top 5 Average: $38.30-110.00






























Top Country Concerts
George Strait $54.50-64.50
Keith Urban $75.00-95.00
Martina McBride $21.75-54.75
Brad Paisley $29.50-44.50
Rascal Flatts $51.50-91.50
Country Average:

$46.45-70.05




Now, lets take a look at prices adjusted for inflation using a inflation calculator at http://www.halfhill.com/inflation.html




























































2007Cost In 1997
George Strait $64.50$50.16
Keith Urban $95.00$73.88
Martina McBride $57.75$44.91
Brad Paisley $44.50$34.60
Rascal Flatts $91.50$71.15
Bon Jovi

$132.50

$103.04
Bruce Springsteen $95.00$73.88
Van Halen $147.75$114.90
Tool$75.00$58.32
Ozzy Osbourne $99.75$77.57




So, looking at the prices of concert tickets this way, you really notice a few things. The prices charged are not really all that bad and luckily country music fans don't have to pay as much as other shows. It is impossible to really due a 100% reliable comparison between the costs of shows based on inflation due to the supply/demand factor. However, thinking about it, we really are paying about what we should.

What we also should think about is that our legends in our music really should be getting the higher ticket prices; I'm talking about the Hall of Fame members, Opry members, and the true influences on country music. Average price I can come up with is about $42. That's insane. One exception, maybe Willie Nelson around $75. Think about it. Is seeing a band like Rascal Flatts really worth the price compared to seeing a George Jones, Willie Nelson, or someone of the like?
I don't think so.

The bottom line to me is save up, stop complaining, and more importantly enjoy the show to the fullest.