I started Country exclusive in June 2015 shortly after hearing someone say, in reference to Sam Hunt, “Well, I don’t like him, but he’s on the radio, and we’re not, so he must be doing something right.” This is the prevailing opinion, that radio airplay is equal with quality and that the radio and perhaps streaming playlists are the only ways to find new music. Unfortunately, in the country genre and really in all of music, that leaves many deserving artists out of the discussion completely. The sounds and stories of country music are not lost, but they have been systematically blacklisted from the airwaves as country is replaced by pop, R&B, and hip-hop, and more traditional and substantive artists struggle to get their music heard. Meanwhile, the disenfranchised fans of country music wonder if their favorite genre has been lost forever. But country music lives on, if you know where to look. Country exclusive is a place to find it. This is a place of honesty above all else, to highlight the good and expose the bad, in all forms of country and roots music, from traditional to modern, mainstream to independent, Red dirt to Americana to folk to bluegrass to Southern rock. We don’t believe everything is good, but we believe every artist deserves an equal opportunity to have their music heard and appreciated. Above all, we are music fans first, not traditionalists or critics or purists, but simply music fans sharing our opinions and highlighting worthy artists. We look forward to sharing great music with you all!