John Rich, known for his successful career as a solo country artist and as part of the duo Big & Rich, began his musical journey in 1994 with country group Lonestar. In a candid interview with The Epoch Times, Mr. Rich reflected on the evolving music industry in Nashville and expressed his deep love for America.
“The industry was very aware of who the main, core audience was. They would communicate with that audience with the right kind of artists and the right kind of songs,” Mr. Rich reminisced.
He also noted the influence of major labels. “You have to remember what labels are in Nashville, what those companies are: Sony, Universal, Warner Brothers. What else do those companies run? How about Hollywood?” he said.
Mr. Rich said he noticed a shift when record labels started hiring executives from New York and Los Angeles to manage Nashville labels, leading to a noticeable pushback. “There were times when I would get phone calls like, ‘Hey, we don’t want you to do an interview with this network anymore or that publication anymore.
’ ‘Hey, we don’t like what you said on social media about this subject.’” “‘Hey, we know you really like this song you just wrote but we’re not going to push it to radio because it’s too controversial,’” the singer said, adding that he felt censored by his record label. Despite being a three-time ASCAP Songwriter of the Year, Mr.
Rich said he felt constrained by industry expectations. “At what point is my freedom .
