I'm not sure this is true. This comment underestimates the ability of Hank and the Industry to succeed at what they do best. He might have easily been taken by today's Nashville machinery, polished, packaged, produced and marketed to the same level of success as he had back then. With his talent he might have absorbed and adopted the stylistic changes necessary to make his songs successful. You just never know.

Of course Earle was probably commenting that Hank's music from years ago wouldn't sell today if it were transplanted in toto into today's market. Probably true, but I don't know if that means anything. Zoot suits probably wouldn't sell either.