Bluegrass Today
Bluegrass Today is a privately held digital media company operating the leading online news publication dedicated to bluegrass music, serving fans, musicians, and industry businesses with daily news, airplay charts from 50+ contributing DJs, an events directory, and a paid play-along practice app.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBrentwood, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Bluegrass Today does
Bluegrass Today is a privately held digital media company that operates the leading online news publication dedicated to the bluegrass music genre. Founded in 2011 in Brentwood, Tennessee by Terry Herd (CEO, also a longtime bluegrass broadcaster and Grammy Award-winning songwriter) and John Lawless (primary author and editor, who had previously run The Bluegrass Blog since 2004), the company publishes news, artist spotlights and interviews, album reviews, festival coverage, industry updates, and community content (births, weddings, obituaries) six days a week. The platform also operates a searchable events directory, weekly and monthly airplay charts compiled from reports submitted by over 50 independent contributing Bluegrass DJs, a dedicated Grassicana (progressive bluegrass/Americana) chart, a Gospel chart, and a weekly bluegrass-themed crossword puzzle.
The technology stack is intentionally lightweight: a WordPress-based website with newsletter subscription, event submission, and chart-tracking functionality, plus the Strum Machine play-along mobile and web app for acoustic musicians (bluegrass, old-time, country, swing, Celtic), which uses real acoustic instrument recordings and sells on a $5/month subscription. The company has no public API or SDK, no AI/ML capabilities described, and no native mobile app for the news site. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through bluegrasstoday.com, with audience reach extended via a newsletter (five days per week) and active Facebook, X, and Instagram channels.
The business model is advertising-led: the company sells ad packages to bluegrass-industry businesses (record labels, instrument makers, festival organizers) through a gated media kit, supplemented by transactional subscription revenue from Strum Machine. The company serves three primary segments — bluegrass music fans (primary), musicians and artists seeking coverage, and bluegrass industry businesses advertising to the niche audience. Bluegrass Today is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or M&A activity beyond the 2011 absorption of The Bluegrass Blog.
Bluegrass Today firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bluegrass Today
- Legal name
- Bluegrass Today LLC
- Website
- https://bluegrasstoday.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Bluegrass Today is a privately held digital media company operating the leading online news publication dedicated to bluegrass music, serving fans, musicians, and industry businesses with daily news, airplay charts from 50+ contributing DJs, an events directory, and a paid play-along practice app.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bluegrass Today industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music News and Media Publishing
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music Discovery & Curation Platforms (Recommendations, Playlists) (MPAIACAH)
Keywords
Where Bluegrass Today is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brentwood
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Bluegrass Today business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Advertising: The primary revenue stream appears to be advertising, with a dedicated advertising page offering ad packages to reach the bluegrass community. The site displays third-party advertisements alongside content.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Bluegrass Today product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bluegrass Today is a digital media publication that publishes original bluegrass music news, artist interviews, album reviews, and festival coverage updated six days a week. It also produces proprietary weekly and monthly airplay charts compiled from reports submitted by over 50 independent bluegrass DJs, maintains a searchable directory of bluegrass events (concerts, festivals, educational events) across the US, and publishes weekly bluegrass-themed crossword puzzles. The site is supported by an email newsletter and social channels, with revenue derived primarily from third-party display advertising.
Product overview
Bluegrass Today operates as a unified online media platform for the bluegrass music community, combining four core offerings: a daily/weekly news site (covering artist spotlights, music releases and reviews, festival coverage, and industry news), an events directory with searchable event listings across the US and internationally, airplay charts compiled from reports by over 50 independent bluegrass DJs tracking bluegrass, Grassicana, and gospel radio, and weekly bluegrass-themed crossword puzzles. The platform is updated six days a week and serves as the primary authoritative news source for bluegrass music fans, musicians, and industry professionals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Grassicana: A sub-genre focusing on the intersection between progressive bluegrass and Americana, with its own dedicated weekly airplay chart.
Products and services
- Bluegrass Today News Site A comprehensive online news publication covering all aspects of bluegrass music, updated six days a week. Features news articles, artist spotlights and interviews, music release reviews, festival and event coverage, industry updates, and community content including obituaries, births, and weddings. The site is free to access and serves as the primary destination for bluegrass fans, musicians, and industry professionals.
- Airplay Charts Bluegrass Today's airplay tracking service, compiling weekly and monthly charts from actual radio airplay reported by over 50 independent contributing bluegrass DJs. Covers bluegrass, Grassicana (progressive bluegrass/Americana), and gospel music. Only songs less than 18 months from original release date appear on charts. Free to access on the Bluegrass Today website.
- Events Directory A searchable bluegrass events database allowing users to find and filter events by date, US state, and category. Categories include concerts, educational events (jam camps, workshops), festivals, music camps, online streams, and broadcast events. Users can submit their own events for review and inclusion. Free to access on the Bluegrass Today website.
- Bluegrass Crossword Puzzles Weekly bluegrass-themed crossword puzzles published every Friday, covering topics related to bluegrass artists, history, songs, and culture. Each puzzle is accompanied by release date information and a link to the interactive puzzle page. Free to access on the Bluegrass Today website.
Companies that use Bluegrass Today
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bluegrass Today technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Bluegrass Today partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Bluegrass Radio Broadcasters (50+ contributing DJs)coreNetwork of over 50 independent Bluegrass DJs who contribute actual airplay data for the weekly and monthly airplay charts. Reporters come from both commercial and non-commercial stations but do not include streaming internet broadcasts. Only songs less than 18 months from original release date appear on the charts.
- Bluegrass Today Media Kit SubscribersminorBusinesses and organizations that request the free media kit to learn about advertising opportunities in Bluegrass Today. These are potential advertising clients in the bluegrass industry including record labels, instrument makers, and festival organizers.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Bluegrass Today competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- The Boot: Country music news, reviews, and artist features site. Comparable as a niche-country editorial outlet overlapping with Bluegrass Today's audience at the country/bluegrass intersection.
- MusicRow: Trade publication covering the Nashville music industry including country and bluegrass. Comparable in serving music-industry professionals with news, chart data, and promotional coverage for adjacent genres.
Regional players
- Americana Music Association: Industry body supporting Americana music with news, awards, and event coverage. Comparable as a bluegrass-adjacent roots music organization producing editorial content, charts (Americana Airplay), and event programming.
Broad incumbents
- Billboard: Global music industry publication covering charts, news, and business intelligence including country and bluegrass. Comparable as a music media outlet operating charts and editorial coverage of the bluegrass industry, though at vastly larger scale.
- Rolling Stone Country: Country and roots music vertical of Rolling Stone, a major mainstream music media brand. Comparable in covering country and bluegrass news, reviews, and artist interviews, though at much larger scale and broader audience.
Direct peers
- Folk Alley: Streaming and editorial platform covering folk, roots, and bluegrass music. Comparable in curating niche roots content, producing editorial coverage, and offering streaming radio alongside news and reviews.
- No Depression: Long-running Americana, roots, and bluegrass music journal covering news, reviews, and features. Comparable as a peer-reviewed roots music editorial outlet with similar niche-audience focus and advertising-supported model.
- Saving Country Music: Independent roots/country music news and criticism site run by Trigger Coroneos. Highly comparable to Bluegrass Today as a niche authoritative editorial outlet serving a specific roots-music subculture with reviews, news, and community commentary.
- The Bluegrass Situation: Digital media brand dedicated to bluegrass and roots music, founded by Ed Helms. Closely comparable to Bluegrass Today as a bluegrass-focused news, events, and curation platform with overlapping audience and advertiser base.
Others
- Bandsintown: Live music discovery and event-concert recommendation platform. Comparable to Bluegrass Today's events directory functionality, though serves all genres and emphasizes ticketing rather than editorial content.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bluegrass Today social profiles
Digital presenceBluegrass Today financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bluegrass Today leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Bluegrass Today funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bluegrass Today M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bluegrass Today
What does Bluegrass Today do?
Bluegrass Today is a digital media publication that publishes original bluegrass music news, artist interviews, album reviews, and festival coverage updated six days a week. It also produces proprietary weekly and monthly airplay charts compiled from reports submitted by over 50 independent bluegrass DJs, maintains a searchable directory of bluegrass events (concerts, festivals, educational events) across the US, and publishes weekly bluegrass-themed crossword puzzles. The site is supported by an email newsletter and social channels, with revenue derived primarily from third-party display advertising.
Is Bluegrass Today a public or private company?
Bluegrass Today is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bluegrass Today founded?
Bluegrass Today was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Bluegrass Today based?
Bluegrass Today is headquartered in Brentwood, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bluegrass Today make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising.
Who are Bluegrass Today's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are The Boot and MusicRow. Americana Music Association is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Billboard and Rolling Stone Country. Direct peers are Folk Alley, No Depression, Saving Country Music and The Bluegrass Situation. Bandsintown is listed as an others.
Does Bluegrass Today have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bluegrass Today.
What industry is Bluegrass Today in?
Bluegrass Today's product category is Music News and Media Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIACAH, Music Discovery & Curation Platforms (Recommendations, Playlists). Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.