Longeviety in Country Music

How does one achieve staying power in the music world? For every George Strait and Alan Jackson, there is a Buddy Jewel, a Nashville Star winner, and Arkansas native, with four or five hits, that now, two years after his last one, can be seen playing a 60 person dive bar in my hometown. I for one, don't feel compelled to watch that train wreck. Why do we drop stars of the past so readily? Why do we shun those who can't get played on the radio anymore. Who makes these decisions? Us, the music consumer, record executives, d.j. s, or music program directors at radio stations? It is probably a combined effort, but nontheless, I feel it is something to think about. In your personal music listening, what makes you buy every album an artist puts out, what makes you shun one hit wonders?