Will the next country hit be online?

Last July, more than 70 country songwriters and producers filed into Sony Music Publishing's Nashville office to hear a presentation by Beatstars, the popular website that allows artists to buy or rent complete instruments for their own use. Seth Mosley, whose recent co-writing credits include songs recorded by Tim McGraw and Gabby Barrett, was present that day and forced out of the company's pitch. He began regularly posting beats on the platform in December, hoping it could provide him with a new stream of income — and another source of exposure.

But this way of working is unusual in country music. Beatstars were originally popularized by rappers and singers in R&B and pop, genres where it is common for singers to use a fully formed track as a starting point. Music making in Nashville is often more traditional, with ace musicians recording in venerable studios — a world away from the rapidly evolving online beat economy.

Over time, however, the Beatstars' success stories became more varied, spreading into realms once ruled by bands that played instruments. ThxSoMch and Wisp found post-punk and neo-shoegaze instrumentals, respectively, on the platform, added their own vocals, and scored clear moments and major-label deals. And the country could be the next frontier.

Beatstars is seeing increased interest in the genre as it grows in the US, he says Greg Matteo, the platform's president of music and publishing. In Mosley's six months at Beatstars, he learned that “anything to do with Morgan Wallen is in high demand.”

This demand is growing on other music creation platforms as well. Bandlab, a mobile music-making app that now has more than 100 million users, has also seen enthusiasm for the country in the US, according to the CEO Meng Rou Kwok.

Additionally, statistics from Splice, which provides producers with a massive library of samples, show that its 8 million user base is incorporating country flavors with greater frequency this year. User searches for “country” have more than doubled compared to 2023. And their interest in samples of instruments related to the genre has skyrocketed, including banjo (searches up 75%), mandolin (66% ), pedal steel (113%) and violin (131%).

Producer BachBeats, which sells country instrumentals online, predicts this excitement on music-making platforms will only grow: The recent release of Post Malone and Morgan Wallen's collaboration “I Had Some Help,” which had one of the biggest streaming debut in history. , “will bring a bunch of people from the hip-hop world to the country.”

Beyoncé's recent references to the genre have also helped, according to Xzaviar, another producer who sells country instruments. He says the producers' shots “marked” him after its release Cowboy Carter on March.

But importantly, the phenomenon seems bigger than any single act or album: Xzaviar has quadrupled his revenue from beat sales on YouTube and Beatstars since August, with Wallen- or Zach Bryan-style instrumentals doing particularly well performance. Notably, even though country music is more loved in America, only 65% ​​of Xzaviar's sales come from the US

Beatstars is looking to capitalize on that interest – and reignite the flames. In June, they launched a new playlist to highlight their country's top producers. “They're really focused on country and have a lot of country creators on the platform,” he says Kenley Flynn, vp of creative for Sony Music Publishing Nashville. (The publisher and Beatstars first formed a partnership in 2020.)

However, the country's rise in the online music production economy may not be immediately felt in Nashville. Although pre-programmed tracks are not uncommon in modern country, this working model — buying a beat on a website — flies in the face of the industry's longstanding system of songwriting and production. “The biggest obstacle for us is that it is So not how the Nashville creative community works,” Flynn acknowledges. “These writers are used to creating from 11 A.M. until 3 p.m. in a room with two or three others,” often people they know.

And when it comes to producers, artists often find someone they like and rely on that person to “cut everything,” says Mosley. In pop or hip-hop, each song on an album might be overseen by someone different, and each track could contain input from a beat maker that neither the artist nor the producer has met personally. This rapture approach remains rare in country music.

But the rules are changing in the genre—adjustments that are increasingly necessary since a country hit can now come from anywhere. More coastal labels are signing country artists directly instead of relying on their Nashville office, for example. And country brands are increasingly getting involved in signing conversations around artists that go viral.

In other genres, hits that explode on social media platforms are often put together with the help of places like Beatstars or Bandlab. It's not hard to imagine the next Priscilla Block or Tucker Wetmore buying a “Morgan Wallen-type beat” on YouTube before launching a clever social media campaign that sparks a viral trend. As a new generation of artists and songwriters enters [to the music industry] they will use modern tools,” he says Corey McAfeewho serves as director of worldwide copyright for Sony Music Publishing Nashville.

The economics of these music creation platforms also position them to help aspiring country stars. “If you bartend to make money and work on your music part-time, it can be very expensive to get into a room with a full band,” he says. David Morris, a Nashville rapper and singer who works with BachBeats and other country producers on Beatstars. “You need to be able to explore your sound or write music, and you can rent some of these beats for less than $100.” (The lease comes with only limited rights, so if a song becomes a hit, the artist must sign a new deal with the producer; acts also have the option to buy the beats from scratch, though this is slightly more expensive.)

Band members may be able to benefit from offering their work online as well. ,“It's not just the so-called beat-makers on these platforms,” ​​notes McAfee. “Maybe you're an amazing guitar player, which we know this town is full of, and you make guitar loops” that can be used by singers around the world.

For Flynn, the math is simple. “The big songs have come from Beatstars and there are producers on the platform who make a lot of money just selling their beats,” he says. For the country's artists and producers, “there is a huge opportunity.”