Report: Many Country Artists Bypass Traditional Radio

Former Sony Music Nashville Chairman and CEO Gary Overton set the country music world on fire when he boldly claimed back in February, "If you're not on country radio, you don't exist." But with services like Spotify and Sirius XM, artists are now able to bypass the radio execs and share their music directly with fans. In fact, some industry experts and artists disagree on mainstream radio's ability to make and break careers.

Cody Alan

"I think radio is still essential for the listeners," host and executive producer of "CMT After MidNite" and "CMT Radio Live" Cody Alan told FOX411 Country. "Radio is still the gatekeeper for that discovery. As much as I love Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio -- I love them all, but -- I think ultimately, there is so much coming at you that radio is the filter for what's great, and I don't think that has really changed, at least in country music."

He added, "We haven't really had a star born from Spotify in country at least, however, we are discovering new talent through it...radio has to be a gatekeeper for greatness."

Today's biggest country music hit makers agree; without radio they'd be nowhere. Taylor Swift told Esquire in 2014, "Country music teaches you to work... In Nashville, if you don't care about radio and being kind to the people who are being good to you... it's a symbiotic relationship, and if you don't take care of it, then they won't take care of you."

Whitey Morgan

But what about more traditional-sounding country artists who put out critically-acclaimed records and fill up concert venues around the world but haven't broken into mainstream radio?

Whitey Morgan and the 78’s have been churning out traditional tunes for a decade, playing for rowdy crowds across the country. Their lead singer told FOX411 Country he doesn't care if he ever makes it onto mainstream country radio.

Morgan said many of the fans he meets at shows tell him they discovered his music through Pandora. "The way that people discover music today is great because of [music streaming services] in the digital world."

Lead singer of the Southern Rock group Blackberry Smoke, Charlie Starr, who has toured all around the world with his band and opened for Zac Brown Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd told FOX411 Country he has learned not to rely on mainstream radio but on Sirius XM for support."

Billy Dukes

With dozens of new (and old) artists making waves on Sirius XM, Pandora and Spotify -- think Old Dominion, Marren Morris -- does country radio have anything to fear?

"I don't think mainstream radio needs to fear anything other than their own approach on how they're planning on developing the future of the format," Sirius XM host Storme Warren told FOX411 Country. "I think we've lead the charge in the search and discovery of new artists beyond what the labels and music row are supplying to radio."

Taste of Country head writer and former radio man Billy Dukes disagrees. He told FOX411 Country it's time for people in country radio to start adjusting their business models. "People in radio spend a lot time convincing themselves that they're still top dog."