Country Music Television
Country Music Television
U.S. Cable Network
Country Music Television (CMT), a 24-hour, advertiser- supported music video channel that airs videos exclusively on basic cable systems, has emerged in recent years as one of the fastest growing cable channels in the United States. In a symbiotic relationship with record companies and radio stations, CMT has become the most influential aspect in the introduction and popularity of new artists in the country music entertainment field. CMT is also credited with creating the “young country” format that many radio stations have adopted, and with shaping other new trends in the country music genre.
Bio
The channel went on the air in March 1983 with about 20 videos and a very small audience. Many observers in the country music industry did not take the channel seriously because they were too concerned about the image already created by Music Television (MTV), an image decidedly at odds with that created by the country music establishment in Nashville. After several years of struggle, CMT was acquired in 1991 by Gaylord Communications and Group W Satellite Communications. In 1999 it was purchased by Viacom, Inc., in a group deal for MTV Networks.
In 1992 CMT was launched in Europe. It went on the air in the Asia-Pacific region in 1994 and in Latin America in 1995. According to the ACNielsen ratings service, CMT now reaches almost 57 million domestic subscribers. CMT also offers an extensive Internet website designed for a younger audience featuring artist appearances, play lists, reviews, and television schedules.
The popularity of country music was not truly realized until the use of Soundscan, a computerized tabulation technique. This system, which reads a barcode and counts the actual number of record, cassette, and compact disc sales, is used at discount stores such as Wal-Mart and Kmart, where a significant number of purchases of country music are made. ACNielsen reports that CMT is the number-one choice for cable programming among women aged 18 to 49.
Based in Nashville, CMT has become a major influence in the success of country music artists and their records. The network features live specials including the Farm Aid benefit concert and sponsors the popular Fan Fair in Nashville annually. CMT develops original programming and houses a library of 4,000-plus music videos. Its promotional fleet includes several 53-foot promotional trucks that regularly promote special events and enhance more than 1,200 local events across the United States.
The Gavin Reports, a music industry publication, noted that much of the popularity of country music artists is attributed to CMT and the impact it has had on the marketing of country music. Another indication of this effect is evidenced through the tracking of CMT’s “pick hits,” videos selected each week to receive additional play. In 1993, 68 percent of the recordings supported by pick hit videos reached the top ten charts of Radio and Records, a major music industry trade publication.