“Turnpike Troubadours performing in Knoxville, TN, 2023” by AppalachianCentrist, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Glimmers of Hope and Transformation
As we look back on country music in 2025, we see promising glimmers of hope and transformation.
This was the year that artists like Tyler Childers, Cody Jinks, Turnpike Troubadours, Koe Wetzel, and a few similar others established a foothold in country radio. Why is that notable? Because since the beginning of the latest era of “alternative” country music, started by Sturgill Simpson and then widely popularized by Tyler Childers, country radio has refused to spotlight them. While US1061 began playing this music in 2019, which led to our Six String Saturday show and now a twice-hourly feature of that music, it has been uphill sledding at most stations across the country. The primary reason for that is record labels didn’t feel these types of artists were commercially viable, despite the fact that listeners had already found their music online and were attending their shows. Since the labels weren’t invested, they weren’t working these artists to radio. Because most country stations will only play music that is peddled to them by the labels, the above-mentioned artists had little chance of getting widespread airplay.
2025: The Financial Shift That Forced Change
That changed significantly in 2025. As the financial landscape has continued to upend both Nashville and country radio, both groups have scrambled to keep up with listener trends. The result of label executives expanding their artist roster has meant radio program directors are now being exposed to artists like Turnpike Troubadours with somewhat similar importance as format staples like Luke Bryan. This is a good thing for the performers, radio, and listeners. Radio’s reach still helps bring familiarity to an artist, and that helps sell music and concert tickets. To radio’s benefit, and their listeners, the inclusion of artists like Tyler Childers makes the station not only more relevant but also more interesting, and interesting is the opposite of boring.
A Win for Artists, Radio, and Listeners
All of this is a great development for country music as a whole. Once things are proven to be commercially successful, it fosters an environment of expansion. 2025 has been an example of that, and it means not just more likely success for a wider range of artists, but a better variety of music for fans.
