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According to a recent report by the Academy Of Country Music Awards (ACMA) – the Australian Outback is the number one consumer of all Johnny Cash records.
The report has found that while the memory of folk legend Johnny Cash is still well and truly engrained into the American psyche, the monetary value of his estate is now almost solely dependant on Australian servos and truck stops.
While most music labels around the world now struggle with a changing landscape of YouTube and streaming services, the legacy of Johnny Cash continues to make millions – all thanks to the fact that Australian truckies still love using CDs.
Cash is just one on a list of five artists that continue to sell CDs at a volume that remotely resembles the pre-internet rivers of gold.
Sitting at number one, the Man In Black is joined by Slim Dusty, Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton and of course, Tina Turner.
The report found that Outback service stations also often offer a special for every Cash CD ever sold.
Pete Peterson, manager of the iconic North Betoota FUEL & BAIN MARIE says that his Johnny Cash and Chiko special has been a hit with local truck drivers for years.
“Sometimes they buy two CDs.” he says.
“I almost sell more Johnny Cash than I sell diesel”
Pete says while he definitely considers himself a fan of the late singer songwriter, he can’t really explain why the trucking industry, which employs roughly 246,100 people around Australia, can be solely responsible for the sale of several million units of Johnny Cash records each year.
“Sometimes the blokes buying CDs have bought them before. I literally recognise them from the last time they came through”
“There’s no real explanation for why Darryl from Diamantina Freight needs to own seven different Johnny Cash Greatest Hits CDs other than the fact that I reckon he wears them out on repeat between Adelaide and the Gulf”
Darryl says while the estate of Johnny Cash must be thankful for the Outback’s long-standing loyalty shown to the medium of CD-ROM, it should be expected that CDs are still popular with the same people solely responsible for keeping the PEOPLE magazine empire afloat.
