"Three major record labels produce two-thirds of all music consumed in America. They are the most powerful buyer of music and talent, and they use that power to prioritize a handful of mega-stars and pop hits. They pitch music into massive radio conglomerates and streaming platforms that control how music is consumed, and they collect an ever-growing share of industry revenue." (Ron Knox, Wired) This is part of the explanation for the uncreative lyrics, copycat/bland melodies, the ubiquity of the pseudo-dramatically rendered I/IV/VI/V chord progression, and the overproduction/unimaginative arrangements which dominate the Top 20 in 2021 and the Country charts. I listen primarily to new music. However, none of it is found in the US Top 20 or Country charts, even as I do check in on them now and then. For Universal, Sonny and Warner, it's not about quality. It's about sales, quite obviously and inevitably. Music corporations are ruled by the same "logic of the market" as any other corporation.
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