As some of you savvy Netsters may already know, Viacom's Country Music Television just launched a new site by the name of
CMT Edge. According to a press release, "CMT Edge celebrates music without boundaries from artists on the fringe of country music, and serves as a digital hub for recently launched performance series, CONCRETE COUNTRY and LIVE @ CMT."
In addition to the three genre categories you'll see at the top of the page — "Americana," "Bluegrass" and "Classic Country" — you'll also see the category "Concrete Country." That's where the site files performance videos from that aforementioned series of theirs — performances from the likes of Trampled by Turtles, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Caitlin Rose and more. Edge has already premiered a new video from Sara Watkins, Dwight Yoakam's new tune "It's Never Alright" and more. There are also profiles on and interviews with acts like throwback rock 'n' roller J.D. McPherson.
So, wait a minute. Trampled by Turtles, Carolina Chocolate Drops, J.D. McPherson, Caitlin Rose? That's certainly some of the more thoughtful, interesting stuff on the modern country-slash-Americana landscape, and not exactly what I'd call CMT's usual fare. When you visit CMT's regular site, you're more likely to find tidbits from reality shows like Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and My Big Redneck Vacation, or artist spotlights on folks like Dierks Bentley, Kix Brooks, Little Big Town and Bucky Covington. By the Edge's own definition, the artists they spotlight represent "the fringe of country music" — the "edge," you might even say. Since when, though, does CMT care all that much about fringe artists?
