CMT Music Awards: Like or Dislike?

There's no doubting the face of country music has changed greatly over the past several years, and the 2014 CMT Music Awards were a bold example.

The pop, hip hop and rock influence in modern country music is undeniable. Some like it. Some hate it. There seems to be more and more 'backlash' from fans of traditional or old school country all the time. Meanwhile acts like Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan who are the poster boys for the new sound, enjoy unprecedented levels of popularity and success. Is Nashville creating a chasm that will result in losing it's tried and true, core fan base, or will the movement toward targeting a younger audience pay the kind of dividends that can sustain the genre? Only time will tell, but everyone has an opinion.

I was perusing Facebook last night when the show started with Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan performing their hit single 'This Is How We Roll.' They were joined by pop and R&B singer Jason Derulo and rock band ZZ Top. Immediately came a barrage of comments lambasting the show for being 'not country.' There were a lot of 'likes' on that particular Facebook status by CMT too however.

Later in the show pop singer John Legend joined Jennifer Nettles and Hunter Hayes for a performance. The boo birds came out in full force again. Often times, the people who don't like something are louder than the people who do, so taking that into account and balancing the negative comments with the simple 'likes' is somewhat tricky. What is obvious is that the negative voices from country fans are louder, more frequent and more sustained than I've ever seen in 25 years doing radio for a living. Social media plays a part in that because it so easy to voice your opinion now.

So now we want to know what YOU think. Has or is country going too far into other genres and alienating you as a listener? Do you like the new style? Vote in our poll and then listen to the new version of 'This Is How We Roll' by Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan with Jason Derulo.