New York Getting a Little Bit Country

When we think of country music, Gothamist doesn't really think New York City, but marketing is marketing and the Country Music Association has brought their annual awards ceremony to our fair city. The CMA Awards are tonight at Madison Square Garden. Bringing the awards to New York was a major coup for the Bloomberg administration, who has sought to increase tourist dollars spent in the city. Shortly after announcing their plan for the awards in NYC, the CMA signed a multi-year deal to remain in their traditional home of Nashville.

It's no secret that brining the awards to New York is also big marketing move for country music. Without a country station in the city since 2002, New York is an obvious target for the music with consumers here already the number 1 or 2 biggest spenders on country music. But you know what this event really does for us? No, we don't want a country music station. We just wonder if all those hats fly off when the country music lovers are sitting on top of those double decker busses. And, if you think about it, having the CMA Awards in town is a lot like having the RNC here. People with funny accents live from The Garden, but without the protesters.

So are you excited about the prospect of country music in New York or do you want it to stay away?