Country artists have a reputation of being very humble; they remember their roots, try not to allow fame to go to their heads, and they never loose sight of the fact that if it wasn’t for the support of their fans, they would not have the opportunity to have a career doing what they love. And for those mainstays in country radio today, the fans, outside of their unparalleled talent, are what got them to that point of stardom. To put that much effort, that much focus, and that many resources into another is incredibly admirable – in a very egocentric and selfish society, fans prove that there is still a trace of celebrating in another’s success. And for that, we thank you.
Many fans found their favorite artists during the infancy of their careers – from early on, you realized their talents, their passion, that “it” factor and knew that that person/band would be ‘somebody.’ You believed in them when no one else did. And let’s face it, it’s not easy to be a fan – scrutiny of others, drama and pressure within fan clubs, to just the physical and emotional toll to pledge dedication to another, it can be pretty exhausting. But fans persevere, enduring anything to support and see their favorite artist – driving or flying for hours, standing in the heat or rain, sprinting to be at the front of the stage, and spending insurmountable amounts of hard earned money buying music and merchandise. Fans dedicated hours upon hours of radio and television requests, sharing tidbits and singles on social media, dedicating valuable free time just to get their name out there.
Artists and the industry notice this, so the efforts are not taken lightly. As country maintains a more personal relationship with their fans than artists of other genres, they offer intimate fan club performances and meet & greets as simple ways to show their appreciation. But in turn, these generous actions fuel the fans to be even more supportive, as many fan clubs turn outings into grass-root promotion activities from chalking the sidewalks at CMA Fest to handing out promo materials to push a new single or album for their beloved artist.
With recent events happening in pop culture surrounding Justin Beiber, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift and even the Kardashian-West clan, it’s become increasingly apparehent that loyalty is increasingly important in the relationship between fans and artists – not only is it important for fans to stay loyal by buying albums and going to see shows, but audiences are expecting that loyalty in return and can now voice that over social media. The recent events on Twitter are examples of the growing pains some other genre’s musicians are having with this added responsibility. And that’s why we appreciate country music so much more – country artists and their fans have so much love and respect for each other.
Once again, I got the best fans in the world. @MSW924 flew over 2,000 miles to see me play tonight. #jt2016tour pic.twitter.com/5TDK8xEn8h
— JT Hodges (@HelloJTHodges) 19 August 2016