What Wide Open Country does

Wide Open Country is a digital media publication operating the website wideopencountry.com, producing original editorial content covering country music news, artist features, interviews, entertainment (including Hallmark channel programming), and country lifestyle topics spanning fashion, food, travel, ranch and garden, pets, and holidays. The publication is likely headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, the center of the U.S. country music industry, and operates under the WOMG (Wide Open Media Group) copyright. With only five disclosed employees, the operation is lean and likely relies heavily on freelance contributors to feed a content engine organized across multiple category verticals.

The technical stack is a standard WordPress-based CMS with no proprietary features, integrations, or APIs disclosed. The product surface comprises the core website, a free email newsletter delivered via the Monster Campaigns platform, an annual Song Contest spanning five genre categories (Alt-country, Bluegrass, Hip-Hop Country, Modern country, Traditional country) offering a $5,000 grand prize and category-tier cash awards, and an e-commerce shop at shop.wideopencountry.com for merchandise and affiliate commerce. The site is actively publishing current content (copyright 2026), with named bylines such as Judy Bass, Jack Taylor, Matt Evans, Jalyn Smoot, and Matthew Wilson.

The business model is advertising-supported, with primary revenue from display advertising across the website, secondary revenue from Song Contest entry fees, and incremental revenue from the e-commerce/affiliate shop. Content is freely accessible; no subscription pricing is publicly disclosed. The audience is split between country music enthusiasts consuming news and artist coverage, country lifestyle consumers engaging with fashion, food, travel, and ranch-living content, and a smaller segment of independent artists and songwriters participating in the Song Contest. No revenue, funding, ownership, or management team details are publicly disclosed.

Name

Wide Open Country

Legal name

Wide Open Country

Website

https://wideopencountry.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Wide Open Country is a Nashville-area, WOMG-owned digital media publication covering country music news, artist features, entertainment, and country lifestyle content via a WordPress website, free email newsletter, annual Song Contest, and branded e-commerce shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing) (MPAIABAB)

Keywords

• Country music news
• Digital media publishing
• Country lifestyle content
• Music song contest
• Editorial content website

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Display Advertising: The primary revenue stream is display advertising on the website, including banner ads, sponsored content placements, and display units throughout the publication.
2. Song Contest Entry Fees: Revenue generated from song contest entries, with the 2026 contest offering Grand Prize of $5,000, 1st Place Category Winners receiving $1,000, and 2nd Place Category Winners receiving $500.
3. E-commerce / Shop: The site operates a shop section (shop.wideopencountry.com) for merchandise or affiliate commerce.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Wide Open Country operates an advertising-supported digital media publication that publishes original editorial content covering country music news, artist features, interviews, entertainment (celebrity, film, TV, Hallmark movies, awards), and country lifestyle topics including fashion, food, travel, living, pets, holidays, and ranch/garden content. The publication also runs the annual Wide Open Country Song Contest, a paid-entry competition for original country songs judged by industry A&R professionals and established artists, offering a $5,000 grand prize along with category and runner-up cash awards.

Product overview

Wide Open Country is a digital media publishing platform offering a unified content experience centered on country music and lifestyle content. The core product is its website featuring news articles, music coverage, celebrity/entertainment reporting, TV/movie reviews, and lifestyle content spanning fashion, food, travel, and ranch/garden topics. The platform also operates the Wide Open Country Song Contest, an annual competition for original country music, and supports reader engagement through a newsletter subscription service and an e-commerce shop for merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wide Open Country Website Free, ad-supported digital media publication covering country music news, celebrity/entertainment, TV/movies, Hallmark content, and country lifestyle topics (fashion, food, travel, living, pets, holidays, ranch/garden) for general readers.
• Wide Open Country Song Contest Annual paid-entry competition for original country songs judged by industry A&R professionals and established artists, offering cash prizes, A&R mentorship, co-writing opportunities, and editorial coverage to independent country artists and songwriters.
• Wide Open Country Newsletter Free email newsletter delivering curated top stories and content updates to subscribers, powered by MonsterCampaigns, available to general readers.
• Wide Open Country Shop E-commerce storefront selling branded merchandise and products to consumers, with possible affiliate commerce offerings.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bourbon PlusminorOthersBourbon Plus is featured as an advertising partner displayed in the site navigation and footer area with a dedicated Bourbon logo/icon link. This appears to be a cross-promotional arrangement between country lifestyle media properties.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Taste of Country: Leading country music digital publication covering news, artist interviews, and lifestyle content for country fans. Directly comparable to Wide Open Country in editorial format, audience, and advertising-led monetization.
• Whiskey Riff: Country music and lifestyle digital publication with strong social media audience and original editorial content. Highly comparable to Wide Open Country in niche focus, content distribution, and audience engagement model.
• The Boot: Country music news, reviews, and features site with a long-running editorial archive. Comparable to Wide Open Country as a country-focused digital media publication serving similar reader segments.
• Country Now: Country music news and artist coverage site. Directly comparable to Wide Open Country in editorial scope, country-niche focus, and digital ad-supported revenue model.
• Outsider: Digital media outlet covering country music, outdoor lifestyle, hunting, and rural Americana. Directly comparable to Wide Open Country given overlapping country lifestyle + music editorial positioning.
• American Songwriter: Long-running music publication covering songwriters, artists, and the craft of songwriting with editorial depth. Comparable to Wide Open Country in music editorial coverage and audience overlap.
• Saving Country Music: Independent country music publication providing opinionated editorial coverage, artist features, and industry commentary. Comparable to Wide Open Country as an independent country music media outlet.
• MusicRow: Country music industry trade publication covering Nashville news, A&R, and label activity. Comparable to Wide Open Country as a country-focused music media property serving overlapping audiences.

Broad incumbents

• CMT (Country Music Television): Established country music media brand owned by Paramount, spanning TV, digital, and editorial. A scaled incumbent covering the same country music and lifestyle audience as Wide Open Country but at significantly greater scale.

Emerging players

• Cowboys & Indians: Western and country lifestyle magazine covering fashion, travel, food, and entertainment. Adjacent peer to Wide Open Country given overlapping country-lifestyle content categories and audience interests.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wide Open Country