Blake Shelton Goes Off On “Old Farts,” Says They “Don’t Buy Records Anymore” (UPDATED: Blake Follows Up)

By On 01/24/2013 · 63 Comments · In The Voice

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Blake Shelton is known for mouthing off, and his latest target is, somewhat surprisingly, country music purists and older music fans.

In a recently updated GAC: Backstory interview examined by the Saving Country Music blog, Blake holds forth on the meaning of his status as the country music’s reigning Male Vocalist Of The Year, and goes off on country music’s purists as well older music fans. Thanks to the SCM blog for transcribing:

If I am “Male Vocalist of the Year” that must mean that I’m one of those people now that gets to decide if it moves forward and if it moves on. Country music has to evolve in order to survive. Nobody wants to listen to their grandpa’s music. And I don’t care how many of these old farts around Nashville going, “My God, that ain’t country!” Well that’s because you don’t buy records anymore, jackass. The kids do, and they don’t want to buy the music you were buying.

See video of Blake making those comments here (the quoted part begins at the 14:25 mark)

Blake’s comments are surprising considering that his 2007 album Pure BS included a song he cowrote called “The Last Country Song,” and brought in John Anderson and George Jones for features:

Further, as a member of the Grand Ole Opry (he was inducted in 2010), Blake has a special responsibility to honor country music’s roots and history. Then again, Blake has shown his appreciation to the Grand Ole Opry by not playing there a single time in 2012 (to name another current country star, Carrie Underwood, Opry member since 2008, played 8 shows at the Opry in 2012 despite an intense schedule that included a full album promo tour that took her overseas, plus 62 tour dates).

Blake’s comment about winning an industry award being a sign he gets to help decide the direction of the genre is also drawing attention. The fact that he is also now CMA’s Entertainer Of The Year (an honor most agree was due mainly to his presence on The Voice and not due to the quality or sales of his music) is likely something he sees as even more of an endorsement of his power and direction. That would help explain why the lead single from his upcoming album, “Sure Be Cool If You Did” continues in the adult contemporary pop power ballad direction of a lot of his previous album Red River Blue. But seeing as Blake’s most recent regular studio album was outsold by subsequent releases from Scotty McCreery, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood, is he as influential as he thinks?

Legendary artist and Country Music Hall Of Fame inductee Ray Price, who has enjoyed a 60+ year career in the country genre, took to his Facebook page this afternoon to respond to Blake’s comments:

It’s a shame that I have spend 63 years in this business trying to introduce music to a larger audience and to make it easier for the younger artists who are coming behind me. Every now and then some young artist will record a rock and roll type song , have a hit first time out with kids only. This is why you see stars come with a few hits only and then just fade away believing they are God’s answer to the world. This guy sounds like in his own mind that his head is so large no hat ever made will fit him. Stupidity Reigns Supreme!!!!!!! Ray Price (CHIEF “OLD FART” & JACKASS”) ” P.S. YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY AS US OLD-TIMERS. CHECK BACK IN 63 YEARS (THE YEAR 2075) AND LET US KNOW HOW YOUR NAME AND YOUR MUSIC WILL BE REMEMBERED.

Last year, after Eric Church’s controversial comments to Rolling Stone slamming Blake for going on The Voice and letting celebrity overshadow his music, Miranda Lambert went after Eric on Twitter, further spotlighting an obnoxious comment he made about not wanting to play for 80 year olds. Will Miranda take her husband to task for dissing the same group of people?

Blake’s comments have also sparked quite a bit of backlash in online country communities, but do you see that extending beyond the fans into the industry? Do you think he has a point about country music or older music fans, or do you think Blake’s Voice experience and industry support has gone to his head?

UPDATED: Blake tweeted the following:

Whoa!!! I heard I offended one of my all time favorite artists Ray Price by my statement “Nobody wants to listen to their grandpas music”..And probably some other things from that same interview on GAC Backstory.. I hate that I upset him.. The truth is my statement was and STILL Is about how we as the new generation of country artists have to keep re-inventing country music to keep it popular. Just EXACTLY…The way Mr. Price did along hid journey as a main stream country artist.. Pushing the boundaries with his records. “For The Goodtimes” is a Perfect example with the introduction of a bigger orchestrated sound in country music.. It was new and awesome!!! I absolutely have no doubt I could have worded it better(as always ha!) and I apologize to Mr. Price and any other heroes of mine that it may offended..I meant every word I said. Country music is my life and it’s future AND past is important to me. I’ll put my Lo e and respect and knowledge About it up against anybody out there… ANYBODY…

http://twitter.com/blakeshelton/status/294563816769994752

http://twitter.com/blakeshelton/status/294564296292175872

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http://twitter.com/blakeshelton/status/294565779611975682

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http://twitter.com/blakeshelton/status/294566737175789569

http://twitter.com/blakeshelton/status/294566849629282305

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  • Happyhexer

    Yup, and that is one of the things that makes me sad about the shift to Internet downloading and away from bricks-and-mortar stores.  The only way I find country music I like that hasn’t been played to death on the radio to the point where I have come to hate it is by taking some of those country music surveys, like the Nashville Country Club’s New Music poll.  So that would be me, making an attempt to be “in the loop for country music” and “making an effort to go looking for the newest releases.”  But if I don’t write down the names of songs or artists that I like, I can’t buy the music.  Not like I can stroll through a music store anymore . . .

    Case in point.  I took a NCC survey a while back and really liked this group, but couldn’t remember their name until I stumbled over it recently.  So I just bought the EP that Due West released in 2011.

  • blackberryharvest

    Yeah, it probably was harsh, I was just shocked at what he said so I typed out angry thoughts lol.

  • http://twitter.com/facenfield David Facenfield

    interesting comments and observations… most seem valid, to some degree… i think this is just as relevant a situation in other genres, like rock and pop… especially were youthfulness is a big part of what makes the genre what it is…

    as a successful act becomes ‘older’ there are deemed less relevant by the industry and played less on radio/music tv… i guess the rationale is that the kids don’t want to listen to them, they want to listen to acts they feel represent them… so Blake’s comments have some validity…

    record companies also recognise this phenom and will invest in more new acts, focussing less on older established acts in terms of promotion on radio…

    at the same time the audience who grew up listening to said older successful act… still enjoy the music of their youth, so will listen to those 5, 10, 20 year old albums and go see those acts live, its a fun night out, recaptures their youth etc… so record companies recognise this and focus any resources they have for older acts into money making concerts…

    they don’t buy the newer stuff for a combination of reasons… a big part of it is that their time, money, focus is now on other things like family, career etc… they probably no longer buy much ‘new music’ in general (see reasons above) plus they don’t feel relate to it, or feel it is made for them…

    they also don’t hear the new music by older established act, so don’t know it as well as the older stuff… they may feel the newer stuff by their fave act is not as  good, probably because they are not in the same mind-set they were when they were younger and saw music as a soundtrack to their lives etc…

    there are exceptions, but they tend to prove the rule… sadly it’s nothing new… possibly a bit chicken and egg… would the sales continue if they got the airplay etc… 

  • http://twitter.com/LexieONeill Lexie O’Neill

    The funny thing is, I’d posted a comparison of the sales of traditional, current artists on IDF a few days earlier before I’d heard of Blake’s comments (even though this first came out in November now that I’ve read more)…

    Josh Turner, Easton Corbin, George Strait, Alan Jackson, etc. their albums have sold less than Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Eric Church, and Luke Bryan.  And that’s where the problem lies–how I wish whatever forces necessary would lead to people buying more of these newer, traditional sounding artists. 

    At the same time, they do sell some–and I would never agree that Blake deserves a vocalist award over Josh, just sayin’.

  • http://twitter.com/kt194 lauers

    It is kind of a strange discussion, because the charts show that Blake is right.
    Part of the discussion comes because people call things country, that I myself do not call country, at least not as it used to be.

    To me real country is Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell, Brad Paisley.

    Taylor Swift,Lady Antebellum are not what I would call country. They are pop. Jason Aldean, which I like, is labeled country, but in my ears, he is what used to be called southern rock (I’m an old guy)
    Eric Church is in my ears rock.

  • SaSa8

    I don’t really think Blake grasps that what he said (or should I say how he said it) offended a lot of folks, fans and musicians.  He is receiving support from some though.  Here is a tweet from Martina McBride showing her support of Blake but what I thought was very telling was Blake’s response that he thinks the whole thing was ”dumb”.  He sure has a way with words LOL.   

    @martinamcbride: “Just catching up on this. We all know where your heart is Blake. Love you.” He responded: “Thanks sis… It’s so dumb. I love you!!”

  • elliegrll

    Music evolves, it always has.  Music has to grow and evolve with the culture, because as time passes people will perceive things differently. That’s why I don’t think that labeling something as real or not works.  

  • calliebeckett

    I’ve read the story of HMV? I think closing it’s doors in the UK. A store known for cd’s. Some in the UK are sad about it, some say “get with the times”.

    To be honest, I like cherry picking singles. It’s very rare for me to like every single song on an album. So for me, why bother?

  • Indigobunting

    Lol, Blake will be Blake.  I think he is more of an ‘entertainer’ and less of an artist.  He is funny, provoking, likes to stir it up in all kinds of ways.

    But musically-I’m not a fan.  He is vanilla to me-kind of like a current Barry Manilow.

    He was certainly disrespectful, but a little ironic he dissed the insider Nashville powerful that determines what gets attention in Country Music-his old jackass self, lol.

    I don’t necessarily disagree with his basic point; I do respect the country traditionalists….but lets get real; Country music is only more popular these days because at least 2/3 of it is rock/pop that can’t be found on the electro poppy/rap etc stations- the music that the largest and wealthiest generation will buy-Baby Boomers.

    I enjoy Patsy Cline, a little Loretta and certainly a little Cash and Willie; but the only reason I listen to country radio is because it is basically Rock with a sometimes twang I initially hated but have come to tolerate or even enjoy.

  • Reflects On Life

    While all music formats evolve & morph with the times, I seem to recall that country music has always had a front-and-center identity argument amongst its ranks.  Today’s traditionalists complain that current country music doesn’t sound like ’80s country, but in the ’80s they were complaining that it didn’t sound like ’50s country, and in the ’50s that it wasn’t like the ’20s.  Heck, country used to be called country-western music, being a union of 2 genres once upon a time.

    Maybe it’s a reflection of the changing demographics of its audience.  Family farms & ranches are on the wane, people don’t live in shanty towns and straw huts in the US anymore, we’re not still trying to conquer the West, industrial jobs came and went, and suburbs have largely substituted the function of small towns. 

    So the lyrical and musical content would shift accordingly.  I’m reminded of Reba’s ’80s hit “Fancy” – lyrically it would sit better in urban or hiphop than in country nowadays.

  • jackeyb

    Ha! Guess I’m a young fart. I’m young and currently listen to old fart country versus the god awful country crap that is out there now. The last albums I downloaded were Hank Williams Sr and Hank III. Will I ever buy a Blake Shelton album, no. He won’t even relevant 10 years from now. His pop status will put him in the same league as Billy Ray Cyrus. He’s a pop star and best if he accepts it and saves his money.

  • http://twitter.com/andrejkur andre j kur

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/arts/music/02cara.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
    Regenerating its audience is something that’s been heavily on the mind of Nashville of late. In March the Country Music Association released the results of a 2008 marketplace study it commissioned, the largest in its history. The findings identified one of the largest focuses of growth potential as “pop country” listeners, whom it described as “very urban, responding to new, female, pop-leaning country artists.”

  • http://twitter.com/andrejkur andre j kur

    Jay Frank, the senior vice president for music strategy at Country Music Television:
    “Hearing Ms. Swift and Ms. Underwood on pop radio stations means that for a new generation of listener, country is no longer taboo. Eighteen- to 29-year-olds, you used to ask them what they listen to, and they’d say ‘All kinds of music except country’. Now that’s changed. If we nail it right as a community, we’ve got an audience that we’ll take with us for the next 20 years.”

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