It’s CMA Fest weekend here in Nashville.
We’re on the final day of the annual festival, which features four nonstop days of country music and events all over the city, which draws hundreds of thousands to Music City hoping to see their favorite artists.
But if you want the best seats, you don’t need to be a country music fan: You just need to have a following on TikTok.
It seems like this year, even more than in years past, I’ve seen videos from influencers sitting in box seats, or hanging out in the VIP area at the popular Spotify House at Ole Red, posting videos about how they don’t even know the songs from whoever they’re seeing but thanking Celsius or Chevrolet or CMA Fest for inviting them out.
Meanwhile, actual country fans who are there for the music are forced to wait in line (in the pouring rain on Saturday), or sit in the nosebleed seats with the rest of the country fans.
I even saw a video from the wife of a musician who was playing Spotify House, who was forced to wait in line because her husband wasn’t given a guest pass: That had to be given to an influencer instead.
@emily_roseofficial Music is fun, music business is not 😬 #cmafest #musicindustry #nashville #countrymusic
Of course influencer culture at music festivals isn’t anything new. That’s what Stagecoach is about, which is a big part of the reason that Eric Church’s acoustic set a couple years ago was so controversial: It’s not about the music, it’s about the vibe and getting the best videos for social media.
But now that same culture from Stagecoach seems to have taken over CMA Fest. The festival that started as Fan Fair, an opportunity for fans to meet their favorite artists and for labels to showcase their talent, has turned into an event that caters not to country music fans but to attractive 20-somethings who have the biggest followings on TikTok.
And before anybody says I’m just jealous: As a member of the media, I had the same access that these influencers did. (I didn’t use it). It’s not about the access, it’s about the experience for actual fans of country music. The kind who show up at 11 AM to see Shenandoah on a free stage or wait all day to see Cody Johnson at Nissan Stadium after having seen him play at a club in Texas a decade ago. The fans who would wait in line, and not attend simply because they’re allowed to skip to the front.
Country music fans shouldn’t have to wait in the rain for hours to get in to see artists they care about while influencers skip the line to party with each other during a performance they care nothing about. And artists’ wives definitely shouldn’t have to wait in line because their guest pass was given to somebody with a bigger TikTok following.
It’s a disappointing but predictable side effect of the popularity of CMA Fest these days. The festival that was once for hardcore fans of country music, a place where country fans could see their favorite artists or discover their new favorite up-and-comers, has now become the “cool place” to be in the “it city,” and the festival and sponsors want to make sure they’re getting their money’s worth.
Unfortunately, that comes at the expense of actual country fans who deserve those seats and those VIP passes more than somebody who has a bigger following on TikTok.
@rachlovesturtles why don’t we invite people WHO ACTUALLY LIKE COUNTRY MUSIC (me)