Connect by Live Nation, a leading sponsorship, creative and experiential agency in music, has released its latest study ‘Step Into Country’ unveiling the mass mainstream influence of country music in Australia - now the third largest country music market in the world, behind the United States and Canada.

Gen Z in metropolitan areas are leading this incredible surge, with 68 per cent now listening to more country music than ever before due to its seamless genre crossover with pop, rock and hip hop - cue Beyoncé, G Flip, Post Malone and Shaboozey. 67 per cent follow a country music artist on social media, with TikTok recording an impressive 196 million video views on #CountryMusic in Australia over the last 12 months. Ironically, recent data from Spotify shows that 92 per cent of country music streams come from metropolitan areas across the country.

This collective impact has influenced purchasing decisions, with retailers seeing an uplift in sales for country-inspired fashion and homewares. One in two music fans surveyed have worn or purchased country-inspired fashion in the past year, with 40 per cent purchasing country-inspired decor or furnishings. Over one in three have noticed the influence of country music on social media (46 per cent), events (40 per cent), TV, movies, books (36 per cent) and beverages (35 per cent), with 24 per cent directly seeing its influence on advertising and branding.

Leroi Waddington, Director of vintage fashion retailer, Route 66 said that they expanded their business operations based on strong demand for country music.

“In our 40 years of operation, we’ve seen all sorts of eras and now Country has morphed into a 90s cowboy style. We have customers looking for vintage country tees because of artists such as Post Malone, which has led us to launch an online store to keep up with nationwide demand. This increased interest has been fuelled partly by nostalgia but more importantly, the growing cultural movement for an evolving genre now reaching widespread audiences thanks to Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter or the rise of line dancing collectives like Saddle Club.”

Moreso, music fans are rallying behind brands that support country music because they “care about the community” (81 per cent) and are “relevant” (79 per cent), with 2 in 3 saying that they are proud to support the brand as a result.

Kristy Rosser, Senior Vice President and Head of Media and Sponsorship at Live Nation Australia & New Zealand said that country music offered brands a unique platform to resonate with mainstream audiences and stay ahead of trends in music and culture.

“What we are seeing is a shift in perception for traditional country music from “nostalgic” and “emotional” to “on the rise”, “diverse” and “progressive.” These new fans located in urban areas didn’t grow up with country music, they’ve found it through mainstream channels, influencing their lifestyle preferences and driving growth across the retail, FMCG and entertainment categories.”

From 2019 to 2024, Live Nation has recorded an incredible 746 per cent growth in live music tickets sold with no signs of slowing down. This has led to multiple sold-out shows and music artists touring Australia and New Zealand including Chris Stapleton,Tyler Childers, Post Malone and just announced, Jason Aldean, who will headline Australia’s newest country music experience ‘Sunburnt Country’ as part of the international expansion of his FULL THROTTLE tour in February 2026. 

Step Into Country is part of ‘Future Sound’ a series of research reports presented by Connect by Live Nation, which explores emerging genres in mainstream music culture. In 2024, the first research report in this series highlighted the explosion of Asia Pop across Australia and New Zealand.