They became caricatures selling urbanites on exotic possibilities of redneck culture and vain beauty queens.

The Nashville gatekeepers learned a very painful lesson.

Pop culture mangles, destroys, and makes fun of anything that comes in its path. They learned that:

1. You can still get country music lyrics played on urban radios, but you will need your own radio networks

2. You can compete with pop by developing younger artists like Sarah Evans and Faith Hill who can present a pop image with solid country music lyrics on their albums.

So where does this lead modern country? Still on forefront, experimenting with country-rock, and Rhythm and blues collaborations.

It certainly is a good time for country music and an even better time for country music fans.

The iPod seems like a natural fit. Rumors of a partnership between satellite radio companies and Apple computers have been rampant after several telling signs by executives of both companies at various computer industry shows.

Online tech guides and skeptics are critical, but hopeful, since there is no clear mechanism right now to add radio transmission function onto an iPod and still maintain same compact look and feel of iPod. In addition, it would take some time to develop product, test it and bring it to market.

Then it would have to attract attention of both Satellite radio customers and serious iPod fans to prevent each party from losing market share they are hastily trying to capture.

There is some overlap between iPod customers and Satellite Radio customers especially in ability to adapt to new technology. What is unclear is if streaming radio fans, and download happy fans are part of some larger online music tribe that anyone can tap with new gadgets.