Bill,

I just saw your earlier post. So now your claim is that I am anti-country and that I don't respect people who perform or write country music? Do I have that right? Are you serious?
What do you base that on? That I don't like your singing?

We've given out more awards to country artists and writers than to any other genre in the Founders Awards, where all genres compete head to head.. and I oversee all of that. 3 of our 5 Song of the Year winners are country songs (though technically Wide Open Spaces was in the Americana Category that year because they used electric guitar instead of Fiddle like the Dixie Chicks did), booked more country artists to perform at JPF special events than any other genre, brought on more country oriented Mentors than any other genre and so on. I used to volunteer for the NSAI for 7 years before starting JPF. We've visited and interviewed more country music industry experts at publishers, labels, studios and even the reps who specialize in it at the PRO's than any other genres. I started as a country writer myself and my first 6 songs published were Country songs. Hell I even wore a Cowboy hat for the first 2 years of JPF before we got the Red Baseball caps. How much more country cred do I need with you? Especially compared the other 90+ genres of music ALSO made by our members. Good music is good. Bad music is bad. It doesn't matter what genre it is for those purposes. And we ironically get a bad rap here because our board is so filled with country writers that the other genres often feel left out and unwelcome. That's a constant battle and if we're so anti-country, you'd think that wouldn't be the case right? And all that isn't enough?

You and Ben seem to have all sorts of complaints. But I still challenge you to show me where my advice was incorrect? You can't because it isn't. So instead you guys are now claiming I don't respect Country music. That's the best you can do? Tell that to Melody Guy, the artist with the most nominations in our JPF history and the most founders awards as well.. all for.. drum roll please.. COUNTRY MUSIC. Tell that to Chris Young who credited us for nurturing him right here on these very boards. If we are so anti-country, I think he would have noticed right? I doubt Nashville Star would have come to us year after year asking for our help getting talent signed up if we were so anti-country.

Take or leave my advice.. I certainly can only lead the horse to the water. But your claims are ridiculous and so easily disproved by simple numbers and facts that I can't believe you even tried to get away with it.

I also would like to see where I have said "we all suck here except for a select few." I can't seem to find that anywhere.

Bill.. why not use the time you're spending blaming me for somehow oppressing you to write and record some better songs? Seriously. That's what you have to do if you want to be more successful.

Brian


Brian Austin Whitney
Founder
Just Plain Folks
jpfolkspro@gmail.com
Skype: Brian Austin Whitney
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"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney

"It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney

"Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney