I personally see a shift in the target audience of modern country music. So many posters on this forum are either feeling alienated and are moving away from mainstream, pop and "rockified" country, or they are flocking to it because it is becoming more edgy, loud and fun. I feel like one of the former. I grew up on 90s country and I think it was country's greatest decade. Yes, to be honest, many songs were lyrically uninspiring and corny, but they had pure country choruses that stuck in your head and were genuinely catchy songs you could repeat over and over again.

I personally don't feel this way about country music today. Listen to "Tonight I Wanna Cry" by Keith Urban. How is it country?? It unfortunately seems like this trend of poppy, rockier and sillier country music, led by the likes of Big & Rich and Toby Keith (don't get me started on Cowboy Troy), is the dominant moneymaker today. Few songs come along now that cater to the traditional country music fan, instead they are pushed to the side as music execs try to pull in teens and show them that country is cool now.

I would not be surprised if the music industry is successful in these attempts to court youngsters with this new take on "country." But I and many others feel like modern country has lost its way and is barely a shadow of what it was in it peak.

I COULDNT AGREE MORE!! I for one prefer the more traditional country sound, and its hardly ever heard anymore. Sure theres a couple good newer artists...I for one love Blake Shelton and Brad Paisley, but for the most part the newer people are just catering to "crossing over" to the fans of the other genres to get more sales. Its all about the money, and its killing country music. I think the George Strait and Alan Jackson song "Murder on Music Rowe" describes it best.