Americana has always been difficult to define, and perhaps that is precisely what makes it so compelling.
Is Americana part of the country tradition, or is country itself one branch of a much larger Americana family? The boundaries have never been particularly clear. Country, folk, bluegrass, blues, roots rock, Appalachian music, Cajun and other traditions continually intersect, borrowing instruments, stories, rhythms and influences from one another. At the same time, new generations of artists continue to push those traditions in unexpected directions.
Route 66 was created to celebrate that entire landscape.
Our goal is to bring the music, people, places and culture of Americana together under one digital roof. We believe Americana is more than a musical category. It is a living culture shaped by musicians and songwriters, festivals and radio stations, small towns and big cities, craftspeople and artists, independent venues, regional traditions and the communities that keep them alive.
There is also a larger idea behind Route 66. In a world that too often emphasizes what separates people, music has a remarkable ability to reveal how much we share. The instruments may change, the accents may be different and the traditions may come from different places, but the stories are often remarkably familiar: home, family, work, love, loss, faith, hardship, freedom and the search for somewhere we belong.
Route 66 is the brainchild of people who have been involved in organizing Americana music festivals and live shows. This project is a continuation of that journey, taking the spirit of those gatherings into the digital world and creating a place where Americana can be discovered, shared and celebrated every day.
And the road is only beginning.
Whether you are an artist, listener, broadcaster, festival organizer, writer, photographer, contributor, collaborator or simply someone who loves the music and culture, there is a place for you here.
Join us on the journey. Thank you.
How Route 66 Radio Gets Its Music
First of all, we do NOT knowingly transmit AI generated music.
Route 66 Radio operates as a licensed, non-interactive internet radio station. Our broadcast infrastructure is provided through Live365, which manages the licensing and royalty-reporting framework for the territories in which our stream is authorized.
In the United States, Live365 provides coverage through major music licensing and performance-rights organizations including ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR, AllTrack, Word Collections and SoundExchange, with corresponding licensing arrangements for covered listening in Canada and Mexico.
The music itself comes from legitimate professional sources. We receive recordings through established radio-promotion and music-distribution services including CDX Nashville and Play MPE, which connect broadcasters with new releases from independent artists, record labels, promoters and established performers. These services are particularly valuable to Route 66 Radio because they give us access not only to familiar names, but also to emerging artists who may not yet have widespread commercial radio exposure.
Independent artists are an important part of what we are building. Route 66 Radio accepts direct submission inquiries from artists, bands, labels, managers and publicists seeking consideration for radio airplay, Artist Directory inclusion, interviews, editorial coverage and other features. Submitted music is reviewed before being considered for programming, and broadcast-quality recordings are obtained through authorized external sources rather than anonymous public file uploads.
We do not simply take recordings from Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or other consumer streaming services and rebroadcast them. Music used in the Route 66 Radio stream is obtained from legitimate industry sources, authorized representatives or rights holders and then added to our Live365 broadcast library with the appropriate artist, track and album information required for broadcasting and royalty reporting.
For certain original Route 66 editorial, promotional and multimedia productions, we may also use separately licensed production-music resources. These production uses are separate from the music programmed in the Route 66 Radio broadcast rotation.
Our goal is not simply to play familiar records. Established artists are, of course, an important scaffold to the sustainability and growth of the genre. Nevertheless, we want to create another road by which worthwhile music, especially music from independent and emerging artists, can find an audience. Route 66 has always connected places, people and cultures. Route 66 Radio aims to do the same for the music that continues to grow from those traditions.