In America, Country Music is Better Than EDM

Image via Complex Original

Here are two debatable points. EDM is temporal. Country is timeless. While there are those who believe that the ADD-nature of Generation Y refuses to allow a song to have a greater impact than 1:30 into hearing it first played on SoundCloud or 30 minutes into a peak hour festival set, EDM's biggest Billboard chart toppers in recent memory are songs that, regardless of being specific to dance as a genre, would have likely been hit singles. From Avicii's "Hey Brother" and "Wake Me Up," to Swedish House Mafia's "Don't You Worry Child" and Zedd's "Clarity," these were truly well-written songs with melodies and composition that stretched the boundaries of EDM's recent pop predilection with dropping the bass. Of course, there's that whole matter of The Chainsmokers' "#Selfie," which fits the more typical-to-mainstream EDM expectation of a song that absolutely nails the cultural zeitgeist then keeps "oontz oontz oontzing" onto the next fad.

Though production standards have advanced and country's familiar twang has been smoothed into something far more mainstream palatable through the generations, there still isn't much of a difference in the consistent level of quality in country's songwriting and high level of organic craftsmanship in composition and production from Hank Williams' 1953 hit "Your Cheatin Heart," to Kenny Rogers and The First Edition's 1967 hit "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," and Florida Georgia Line's 2012 hit single "Cruise."

When contemplating two disparate genres featuring unique production standards, the deciding factor of excellence must go to the style of music that has consistently best lent itself to commercially friendly songs for a longer period of time with a more sustainable level of success. The advantage in this case goes to country. Is hearing Miranda Lambert on an Avicii track the quick solution? Maybe, maybe not. But one listen to the Pistol Annies, and then examining their chart and touring success would lead anyone to believe that those songs certainly have a longer shelf life than EDM's more temporal and temporary vibe at present.

People are creatures of habit. Thus, the argument for EDM being potentially better than country music falls on deaf ears for the same reason that progressive school lunch policies are considered to be failing to garner support in many American municipalities. As much as a frozen pizza pales by comparison to a healthy salad, people know, appreciate, and ultimately love the comfort associated with eating the greasy and far less potentially healthy pizza.

The same applies to country music as compared to EDM. For as much as 320,000 screaming people at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway can signal that EDM is fresh and rising, in the stalwart (and much more festival cost-prohibitive) country market, the Stagecoach Festival recently sold 120,000 tickets for what is now country's standout yearly event. Thus, one can use the food comparative and say that as much as a costly to produce (yet possibly healthier) and unknown to the average American diet free range organic salad is, opting for the cheaper and likely not as unique and high-ticket alternative is done from a standpoint of familiarity.

Similarly, for as much as EDM is gaining a significant market share in the American mainstream shows progression, country's recent resurgence is merely just affirming something that has been true in American music for almost a century.

Even when rap breaks and ultra pop production get involved, country is still largely country. There isn't a moombah-country, psy-country, tech-country, or progressive dub-country either. Though decried by so many, EDM's constant need to fall back on genre delineations makes it hard to really consider it to be better than country music regarding this point.

The wisdom of country's denial of truly breaking down into genres and subgenres has been hotly debated of late (as more diverse influences appear). In comparison, EDM's almost comical willingness to both engage in highbrow conversation regarding preserving organic genre standards, while at the same time allowing for a greater diversity of sounds is likely ridiculously confusing for outsiders. By comparison, country fans can spot a country song of any style from a mile away, and even if begrudgingly, embrace the sound as part of the larger genre. The ability for country music as a sound-as-brand to retain such strong market presence as opposed to EDM's fractured and disparate communities by comparison is problematic for attracting and retaining new fans.

This is the story of Nashville versus Los Angeles.

Starting with the airing of the Grand Old Opry radio broadcast in 1925, Nashville, Tennessee has distinguished itself as the unofficial "home" of the American (and global) country music industry. From the Opry broadcasts going nationwide by the 1930s, by the 1960s country was informed by something known as the "Nashville sound," with 1970s country pop crossover being guided by Nashville's "countrypolitan" sound. Today, Nashville's (largely country) music industry has an estimated total economic impact of $6.4 billion yearly for the city, creating 19,000 jobs in the Nashville area. Having what feels like the entire industry of a sound established in key center for commerce allows for the genre to have a place where it can consistently return, regenerate itself and grow both more powerful and more ideally creative within the larger mainstream expectation.

By comparison, the EDM industry's growing stranglehold on the Los Angeles music community is comparable to what country has done in Nashville, but feels as though its only at the beginning of its growth. Top labels OWSLA, Dim Mak, Mad Decent, SMOG, Buygore and more have their operations based in LA, while dance-specific global powerhouses like Ultra have offices in LA, too. Also, mainstream labels growing in familiarity with EDM as a champion sounds for their fiscal bottom lines all have offices in Los Angeles, too, making LA's potential to eclipse Nashville readily apparent. With EDM already valued at $20 billion globally by 2018, the potential for EDM in Los Angeles (similar to country in Nashville) say, 80 years after that point, is stupendous by comparison.

However, EDM is a viral beast, an Internet-ready monstrosity that defies the ability to demonstrably have it's power centered in any one specific place. Thus, it can be argued that until every American city that claims an EDM scene is able to have a thriving and diverse business within the sound within their city limits, EDM fails against the standard set by country. If EDM is to exceed country's reach, it must, as country has, meet and exceed the expectation it has set for itself. Given that country's expectations were set at a time prior to the hyper-digital age, they were certainly much easier to be met than EDM's which are driven by an ever expanding and globalized universe defined by perpetual change.

Steve Aoki throws cakes, Carnage loves his Chipotle, and Skrillex plays dance music like he's still the lead singer of a pop-punk band. Besides that, how many other truly charismatic performers can we think of behind the decks at an EDM festival, or at your favorite performance venue at present? Similarly, how many truly gripping and charismatic country performers are there at the moment? Even better, let's consider the history of dance music overall, and think about the "rock stars"of dance who have consistently drawn crowds. Is there a name from dance that compares favorably in America to Hank Williams Jr., Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Shania Twain, or Kenny Rogers? Until EDM can break out of the doldrums of having its top stars perceived as people who push buttons, stare at computer screens, or deftly handle a set of turntables, it's hard to consider country as not being better than EDM.

Yes, there may be those who think that in production-friendly EDM, charisma and connectivity can be transmitted differently than in any other genre of music making this an apples versus oranges comparison. But to that person I'll also argue that DJ duo Nervo were Covergirl models, Diplo oftentimes wears tailored suits during his DJ sets and that Paris Hilton continues to get booked to play music. Thus, for as much as its about the music in dance, it's about the notion of the physical interaction (in this case staring at someone considered physically appealing versus someone not-so physically appealing) being a deciding factor that differentiates someone who just produces and plays sets versus someone who is famous for producing and playing sets.

Country's long-standing history–whether it be the humble cowboy, the renegade outlaw, the handsome stud or the girl from the wrong side of the tracks–of pushing personas that lend themselves well to those who already have an inherent physical charisma gives the genre an advantage over the "slowly developing these notions" style apparent in EDM.