The DRTI 2026 Country Ins and Outs

Hello readers - welcome to 2026, Happy New Year (are we still allowed to say that?) and thanks for allowing us a wee break to tend to our tired hearts and tiring children. If you missed our best of 2025 list, you can review that here, too.

New year, same three chords and the truth — or are they?? Country music is as big as it's ever been, on and off Music Row; new and new-old trends abound, and we're gearing up for another year of listening, reading, chatting and take-having. So why not kick things off (a little belatedly) with some wishcasting? Here are our (country-centric) hopes for 2026; may the music bring us some respite from the horrors.

IN:

Neo-Trad Revivalism

As is typical with any unexpected musical success, Zach Top has already sparked legions of fellow neo-neo-traditionalists to release honky-tonk ready tunes. Sure, they're not all making the most blindingly original music you've ever heard, but it's refreshing to hear Nashville radio seekers paying more than just lip service to their '90s country fandom. So, so far preferable to more buttrock retreads, mulleted faux Wallens and gratingly raspy imitators of that other Zach (Bryan, more on that later). — NW

Country Bands 

If you want to be bored, just take a look at the CMA Awards nominees for vocal group of the year: usually some combination of Old Dominion, Lady A, Little Big Town and Rascal Flatts, plus one new band a year. But what if that wasn't it? What if the win of The Red Clay Strays led to a full-on country band revival, including bands that aren't entirely straight white guys that are technically rock bands anyway? I'm ready for the country band takeover this year, and I feel it coming. I'm excited for new stuff from Midland and Silverada but I also want to see some versions of The Chicks for the new age, Appalachian swampy psychedelic groovers and an Alabama redu - I know you're out there. - MM

More Than One Famous Woman Country Pop Star At A Time

Hold onto your cowboy hats — we are entering 2026 with a woman (!) on her own (!) atop Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and with the No. 5 song on the Hot 100, across all genres. Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" has become one of just a couple dozen country songs by or featuring women to hit the Hot 100's top ten this century, making chart history with a country song that actually sounds…quite country (unlike a certain "country" guy who's had a stranglehold on the Hot 100 for years now). It hasn't topped out at airplay yet (seems inevitable, though) but Langley is joined by Megan Moroney's "6 Months Later" (both in our year end list, naturally) in that chart's top ten. Most of the upper echelons of the country charts remain a sausage fest (for more on that, read Marissa's Her Country) but we're hoping Langley and Moroney joining Lainey as bona fide powerhouse is auspicious…could we see slightly more gender parity?? — NW

Going To Shows

Music venues have just about everything working against them right now — a stagnant economy and more people reining in their alcohol consumption (good for everyone's health and bad for a business model that is, unfortunately, built on selling drinks) compound the ongoing decimation of media promoting live music and trend of people staying home to entertain themselves virtually. But there's nothing like hearing music live, whether it's a legend or local artist playing covers at a bar. It's special, it's community building, it's invigorating at a time when we all sorely need reinvigorating. Needless to say, when you can avoid LiveNation, all the better; support venues that are fighting to survive against a monster monopoly, and musicians who are fighting to make a living the only way that's left, since recordings rarely net a profit these days except as a loss leader for shows. — NW

Women Saying Fuck You to Major Labels

Last year, I saw a slew of women leave their major label deals in favor of going independent: Jordyn Shellhart, Madeline Edwards and some very recognizable ones that haven't been made public yet. Some were dropped, some left on their own accord. Truth is, outside of the top handful of women allowed to be successful at one time, it's nearly impossible for everyone else - without selling your soul to go on tour with Kid Rock and whatnot, and you still aren't going to get on the radio! 2026 is the year to finally build a new ecosystem. - MM

Inventive Festival Lineups

I have zero desire for another summer of carbon-copies of the same festival over and over: give me carefully curated, possibly more niche festivals with a really interesting balance of acts and even activities (look at the Park City Song Summit, that brings in programming based around mental health). I know it's harder than ever to make money on these, and I'm no expert, but it feels like the key might be making things more special, not more of the same. - MM

OUT:

Raspy-Voiced Self-Serious Guys Playing Acoustic Guitar In The Woods

Just because you brought your hi-res video camera to a forest does not mean your music is any truthier or rootsier or more real. Begging some sketch comics to skewer this cliché (I don't trust SNL to actually be funny at this point) because man, it grates. - NW

“Albums” That Are 30+ Songs Long (and EPs While We Are At It) 

Unless you are giving us The White Album, no one needs 30+ songs, unless you are making something to flood streaming services (see below) which is, honestly, gross! And while I have no fundamental problem with EPs, I hate that Music Row uses them far too often to test out material and eventually shelve a full project if said EP doesn't preform to expectations. A seven song collection can be an album, 30 songs should be....maybe two albums? And while we are at it, let's get rid of 30– second protest songs made for YouTube (ahem). MM

Streaming Services

Now clearly we use streaming services — we share playlists on them every week (Qobuz fans, I hear you and I'm working on it). But the model is exploitative and increasingly flooded with AI scammers, and the only way to combat that is to (ideally) shed a subscription or two in favor of purchasing music. Artists: please make your music available to download!! I'll do my best to share text versions of upcoming playlists to make offline/physical listening easier. — NW

Policing What Is Country

Honestly, I am so fucking bored of this. Every artist you know thinks it's boring and useless, why should we waste our one precious life on the titles of art? Not to mention that whole, oh, other issue that no matter what a white man does we are pretty happy to call it country especially if he gives "authenticity signifiers." It's so boring. Reframe your 2026 on just enjoying art for what it is on the terms the artist offers you. I promise, your life and listening will be so much better. - MM

Piercing Dog Whistles

Friend of the newsletter Jon Bernstein wrote about how Music Row has embraced MAGA — but even when artists aren't spelling it out, they're using language (mostly pulled from unhinged right-wing social media jargon) that makes it clear where their loyalties lie. Of course Gavin Adcock is probably the most obvious example, given that he leveraged posting barely veiled racism into a full-fledged career, but plenty of others are champing at the bit to pull exactly the same stunt. — NW

AI Songwriting

Need I say more? The goal for 2026 should be, as songwriter/producer Cameron Jaymes told me, to be as human as possible. Look, the robots are going to take over eventually. We'll all be out of a job. Let's give doing real shit and making real, human art our best shot possible. - MM