Programmer's Corner

The one thing I hear most from our viewers is how much they appreciate all the videos we play.  I must confess, I really enjoy getting all the emails and messages from viewers all over the country when the discover The Country Network and get to see videos they have not seen in a long time.  If you have recently discovered The Country Network make sure you tell 10 friends we are here.

I would like to welcome all of our new viewers in Phoenix, Jacksonville Sacramento, Topeka and Charlotte, we continue to add new markets and grow through digital platforms like ROKU and online streaming.  Soon we will have exciting new features that will benefit you as a viewer and fan of country music.

Thanks for watching TCN

I’ve added 2.5 new Christmas videos to the network this week, you might be wondering how I can add half of a video…The team of Toby Keith Incorporated decided to expand on the unbelievable success of “Red Solo Cup” and sent me a “Christmas” themed version of the video, same song just added a lot of Santa to the video.

Newcomer Andy Gibson sent over “The Christmas Song”, he does a really good job with this classic Christmas song.

Craig Campbell released his version of “I’ll Be Home Christmas”, he does a really good job with the song and the video features our Troops returning home and Craig’s wife and 2 daughters.

You can see them all in the “New Additions” channel above or on The Country Network.

Thanks for watching TCN

I’m sitting in my office working on the music that will be played in the upcoming days and I have The Country Network on in my office.  The video from a new artist named Teea Goans called “Letter From God” just came on and it reminds me just why I love my job!  I have programmed radio stations my entire career but never had the freedom like I do at The Country Network. To take music from unknown musicians like Teea Goans, Eric Lee Beddingfeild, Payton Rae and all the other Breaking Out artist’s and combine them with the best the major labels have to offer is truly exciting to me.  I realize I’m not finding the cure to cancer or saving starving babies but it is pretty cool to know we are helping someone achieve a dream!

In the good news department, if The Country Network is not on TV in your area you can now get us through Roku.  By a Roku box at your local electronics retailer like Best Buy…hook it up to the TV and internet and it’s country videos 24/7…The Country Network style!!

Check out the videos at the top of the page and see what I am excited about these days…

Thanks for watching The Country Network

CR

As an artist you can create a profile and share your music with the community, update your fans, list your tour schedule and more and (wait for it…wait for it)…IT’S FREE!  That’s right, The Country Network wants you to have a place to display you music with like minded people…our audience and soon to be yours.  Go check out marysarahmusic, paytonraemusic or the Moonshine Bandits profiles and get started setting yours up, make sure you request me as a friend!

I love my job!  I get to listen to new music everyday and there is a lot of new music out there right now that is really good!  Not only are the major labels in Nashville turning out some great stuff but there is a wealth of new and undiscovered talent out there on YouTube, reverbnation.com and now inside tcncountry.com.

You have all met Amber Leigh, seen her video “I’m Not That Girl” on The Country Network, there is no other video network giving this independent artist any support.  Last week we featured a new artist named Payton Rae with a great response to her first video “Not Your Cinderella”, Payton was someone I first saw on YouTube and became very interested in her music and then was contacted about playing her new video and jumped at the chance.  At the same time I started playing Payton Rae I added new artist Eric Lee Beddingfield and his video “The Gospel According to Jones" which has a cameo appearance of George Jones.  I am going to let you in on a little secret that I found…Mary Sarah!  That’s all I am going say and one day you will write me and thank me!   Artist’s like these are the ones that we look for to feature in our “Breaking Out” programming on The Country Network (Monday nights @ 7pm), a show dedicated to this new and undiscovered group of artist’s that are not signed to major labels and in many cases no label at all.

On this page I have a video player and one of the channels is dedicated to Breaking Out videos, check it out.  I update the videos all the time with cool stuff I add to the Network.  This week I put the new video from Lucy Angel for their new single Serious in the player, this upbeat fun song was written by Anthony Smith, Chris Wallin and David Lee Murphy and it left me dreaming about turquoise guitars, hot blondes and searching eBay for and old Ford T-Bird convertible!

If you know any artist’s that have high quality videos have them contact me at this page, it can’t be something that was shot with a flip camera setting on a railroad track and must be a quality song and performance…no William Hung stuff.

Thanks for your support of The Country Network

CR

The head office has been all over me to write and update to my blog and to their credit they are right. I have been working on an update based on an idea that came from a conversation I had last week about the different flavors of country music.  Unfortunately it was turning into a small novel with no ending and last night I threw my hands in the air and walked away.  I proceeded to try and sleep, but all night long I could only think about “the blog” …damn you head office!  SO!  Here are the Cliff notes of the never to be published “Flavors of Country Music” novel. 

Everyday as the Program Director of The Country Network I listen to new music and without fail I hear something that that pushes the boundaries of what I consider country music.  Music has always and will always be in a constant state of evolution.  The influences that shaped the styles of George Jones, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings are not the same ones that have influenced Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean or Toby Keith.  Their influences would most likely include George, Merle and Walyon along with The Eagles, Def Leopard and Jimmy Buffet.  The process of evolution in music takes place when an artist takes all of those influences that have shaped their opinions and tastes and filter them into an individual sound and create their art.

You and I could stand together in front of a very high priced piece of art and experience two different interpretations of meaning, the same thing is true with music.  The artist I love, you may not like, that doesn’t make either of us wrong it only means it is my kind of country is not yours.  As the Program Director at TCN it is my job to take all these different “flavors of country music” and blend them together in a way where everyone gets what they like without to much of any one flavor at once.

Thanks for watching The Country Network and if you have not signed up for the TCN community at www.tcncountry.com, check it out.