It is EXACTLY what radio is looking for and exactly why TAYLOR SWIFT is the engine that drives the business. As I have been saying for a while, the "tailgate, river, lake, girl, truck" stuff is a "DEAD TREND WALKING." You are seeing residual evidence of it but it is actually as dead as "the angel" era of five years ago.
Sales figures on all those songs are IN THE TOILET. People only accept a trend for so long. They last about three years, one on the ascent, one on the top where they seem to be everywhere, and one on the way down. You continue to see them, because some stay on the charts, and more are released. But in the BOARD rooms, where things REALLY matter, they have been watching the decline in sales figures for a while. Those that LIVE by the trend, DIE by the trend, and watch the "Bro country' groups to start dropping off the face of the earth, right around Christmas time. Those are when artists get dropped.
Get ready in the new year to say, "wow, we haven't heard from....(fill in the blank here), for a while. They had some really interesting stuff", then check out where they are. Lost deals, lost deals, lost deals.
The new crop (those that are recording right now,) are released at the country radio seminar in January, and will start fighting for their survival with radio tours in the winter months. You'll start seeing new songs and new trends in March and April. And You will see a bunch of people who were riding that wave over the past couple of years, without labels and ending up on triva questions very soon.
Do some research and go back and see who were the hottest acts three-five years ago. Find out the "one hit wonders" that seemed every where at that time. Find the trends of that time and then see how fast they dissapeared.
The main way you can find out about this is being around people in the industry, pluggers, publishers, hit writers. Those trends start out as minor jokes whispered in back rooms. Then it gets pretty prevelant. Then it is out and out ridicule. We are in the ridicule phase right now.Those songs are done and are eye rollers. The people investing time writing them, are already out in the cold.
MAB