Oliver Anthony ‘retiring from the music industry’ 14 months after success of ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’

“I’m thinking about transitioning my entire business to a travel service,” Anthony shared on Tuesday, October 29

Oliver Anthony retires from the music industry.

His announcement comes just over a year after his song “Rich Men North of Richmond.” ranked number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

“I decided I didn’t need a Nashville music company going forward,” Anthony said in an interview YouTube video Posted on Tuesday, October 29th. “I don’t even have to exist in the space of music. That’s why I’m thinking about converting my entire business to a travel service.”

Previously, Anthony responded to a comment on social media that he was “about to quit the music industry.” Media videoper Rolling Stone.

“This is a big joke,” he added, the outlet reported.

Related: Oliver Anthony’s viral country song “Rich Men North of Richmond” is controversial and topping the charts

In the YouTube video, the country singer added that he still plans to release music “as usual,” but will do so through his new project called “The Rural Revival Project.” He went on to say that this would “just be set up legally as a ministry” and that his first “completely DIY” show was scheduled for November 2nd.

“I want to create a routing schedule that parallels Nashville and circumvents the monopolies of Live Nation and Ticketmaster,” he explained in his YouTube video. “And it goes to cities that haven’t had music for a long time, and it revitalizes their economy.”

In his opinion websiteThe singer said he wanted to perform in “shows in cities and counties” that are in a “financial deficit” and that the project “focuses on revitalizing rural farms and communities, promoting sustainable development and improving the quality of life.” “People who live in rural areas.”

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He also said that he hopes to “reach people who are just coming out of rehab, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and people who are depressed and suicidal” and “learn to exist outside of a system that has us, so to speak “was forced upon a generation.”

In the new video, the singer, whose song “Rich Men North of Richmond” was celebrated by the right after its release, also reflected on whether he was a “conservative.”

Related: Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless and songwriter Bob McDill enter the Country Music Hall of Fame

“I guess I’m a conservative,” he said. “I am a conservative because I believe in the First and Second Amendments. I don’t know if I’m a Republican or what the hell I am. I’m just someone who thinks that the way we live is so backwards and stupid. It doesn’t serve anyone except the people at the top of a hierarchy who we don’t really need to serve anymore.”

The socio-political song “Rich Men North of Richmond” initially gained traction on TikTok before being uploaded to the radiowv YouTube account in August 2023. It received over 32 million views on the platform and shot to the top of the charts through downloads, official streams and radio play.

Despite the songs’ success, Anthony shared on his website that he “didn’t want to be in the spotlight” and said he “wrote the music I wrote because I suffer from mental health issues and depression.”

“These songs have touched millions of people on such a deep level because they are sung by someone who feels the lyrics the moment they are sung. No editing, no agent, no b——-. Just some idiot and his guitar,” said the singer-songwriter from Farmville, Virginia. “The style of music we should never have let go of.”