Women in country radio

[Gary]

Miranda Lambert Blasts Country Radio Sexism: 'I Had to Sing With Someone With a Penis to Get a No. 1'

News

By Nicole Engelman | November 14, 2018 5:48 PM EST
Miranda Lambert



Jason Aldean's "Drown the Whiskey" is Lambert's first Country Airplay chart-topper in four years.

Miranda Lambert spoke candidly about the role of women in country music in a recent interview with The Washington Post and brought up hitting No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart in August thanks to her feature on Jason Aldean's “Drowns the Whiskey.”

“Yes, I had to sing with someone with a penis to get a No. 1,” Lambert candidly said of the chart-topping song.

Despite being a decorated country singer with two Grammys and 13 Country Music Association Awards, Lambert hasn’t had a solo No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart since 2012's "Over You" and shared the top spot with Keith Urban on their duet "We Were Us."

“It is interesting that I haven’t even had a top 20 in a long, long time,” Lambert said. “And then it goes No. 1 because it’s a dude.” She was quick to add that she has nothing against Aldean, who she likes “a lot” and was happy to work with on the song.

Instead, Lambert drew attention to the larger issue of unequal representation that women in country music face. Country stars like Carrie Underwood have also previously spoken out about the genre’s reinforced sexism. The Washington Post even referenced a report that in 2017 that only 10.4 percent of songs on the country radio charts were from female artists -- a decrease from 13 percent the year before.

Lambert will perform “Drowns the Whiskey” alongside Aldean on Wednesday night (Nov. 14) at the CMA Awards. Lambert is also nominated for three CMAs, two of which are for “Drowns the Whiskey.”

[Relaxing Cup]

Maybe less vulgar quotes will translate into more number ones, Miranda. Also, maybe she hasn't had a top 20 in awhile due to the scandals that surround her (ask LeeAnn Rhimes)

Shania has 7 #1s, all solo

Faith Hill has 9 #1 hits, all solo minus 1.

Trisha Yearwood has 5 #1s.


She's trippin.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

Nov 15, 2018 17:52:30 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Maybe less vulgar quotes will translate into more number ones, Miranda. Also, maybe she hasn't had a top 20 in awhile due to the scandals that surround her (ask LeeAnn Rhimes)

Shania has 7 #1s, all solo

Faith Hill has 9 #1 hits, all solo minus 1.

Trisha Yearwood has 5 #1s.


She's trippin.

Yes, let's refer to examples from OVER 20 years ago by literally the biggest women in country music history as evidence sexism on country doesn't exist.

[Relaxing Cup]

Nov 15, 2018 18:04:11 GMT -5 Devil Marlena Nylund said:

Nov 15, 2018 17:52:30 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Maybe less vulgar quotes will translate into more number ones, Miranda. Also, maybe she hasn't had a top 20 in awhile due to the scandals that surround her (ask LeeAnn Rhimes)

Shania has 7 #1s, all solo

Faith Hill has 9 #1 hits, all solo minus 1.

Trisha Yearwood has 5 #1s.


She's trippin.

Yes, let's refer to examples from OVER 20 years ago by literally the biggest women in country music history as evidence sexism on country doesn't exist.

Her comment came off as ungrateful and was very vulgar.

[14887fan]

Nov 15, 2018 18:30:04 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Nov 15, 2018 18:04:11 GMT -5 Devil Marlena Nylund said:

Yes, let's refer to examples from OVER 20 years ago by literally the biggest women in country music history as evidence sexism on country doesn't exist.

Her comment came off as ungrateful and was very vulgar.

There's nothing vulgar bout basic human biology. She said the anatomically correct version of the male genital. She didn't say "dick" or "wang" or anything actually vulgar.

And she's not ungrateful at all. She's absolutely right. I don't know how closely you follow the gender imbalance in country music (and namely, at country radio), but it's a huge, massive ordeal. And saying "Shania Twain has 7 solo #1s" isn't a justifiable argument in the slightest. There's a ton of data, statistics, and history that people have spent years analyzing and dissecting (happy to include myself in that grouping) that show just how frustrating and appalling the gap between men & women at country radio is, and Miranda Lambert's feelings are valid.

And her personal life issues are not why she's not receiving radio airplay. If that was the case, then Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, and a slew of other men in this genre wouldn't be, either. So that's an invalid point, as well.

[Relaxing Cup]

Nov 15, 2018 18:37:25 GMT -5 14887fan said:

Nov 15, 2018 18:30:04 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Her comment came off as ungrateful and was very vulgar.

There's nothing vulgar bout basic human biology. She said the anatomically correct version of the male genital. She didn't say "dick" or "wang" or anything actually vulgar.

And she's not ungrateful at all. She's absolutely right. I don't know how closely you follow the gender imbalance in country music (and namely, at country radio), but it's a huge, massive ordeal. And saying "Shania Twain has 7 solo #1s" isn't a justifiable argument in the slightest. There's a ton of data, statistics, and history that people have spent years analyzing and dissecting (happy to include myself in that grouping) that show just how frustrating and appalling the gap between men & women at country radio is, and Miranda Lambert's feelings are valid.

And her personal life issues are not why she's not receiving radio airplay. If that was the case, then Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, and a slew of other men in this genre wouldn't be, either. So that's an invalid point, as well.

It's just weird because one of her number ones is with Carrie Underwood, someone with a vagina. Plenty of women get airplay on country radio and have over the years, plenty. Not everyone needs to hit number one, and someone certainly should not hit number one just because of their genitals. It should, you know, have to do with how good/catchy the music is.

[14887fan]

Nov 15, 2018 18:41:18 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Nov 15, 2018 18:37:25 GMT -5 14887fan said:

There's nothing vulgar bout basic human biology. She said the anatomically correct version of the male genital. She didn't say "dick" or "wang" or anything actually vulgar.

And she's not ungrateful at all. She's absolutely right. I don't know how closely you follow the gender imbalance in country music (and namely, at country radio), but it's a huge, massive ordeal. And saying "Shania Twain has 7 solo #1s" isn't a justifiable argument in the slightest. There's a ton of data, statistics, and history that people have spent years analyzing and dissecting (happy to include myself in that grouping) that show just how frustrating and appalling the gap between men & women at country radio is, and Miranda Lambert's feelings are valid.

And her personal life issues are not why she's not receiving radio airplay. If that was the case, then Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, and a slew of other men in this genre wouldn't be, either. So that's an invalid point, as well.

It's just weird because one of her number ones is with Carrie Underwood, someone with a vagina. Plenty of women get airplay on country radio and have over the years, plenty. Not everyone needs to hit number one, and someone certainly should not hit number one just because of their genitals. It should, you know, have to do with good/catchy the music is.

Technically, "Something Bad" never went #1 at country radio. It went #1 on Hot Country Songs, which is a chart that primarily measures sales & streaming. It's an odd conglomerate, and the split between the two charts has been weird.

As for your statement saying "Plenty of women get airplay on country radio and have over the years, plenty," you're just...factually wrong. Like, there is no other way to put it, other than that you're very clearly not looking at weekly charts, daily radio updates, etc. Women are not getting played, and if they are, men are outplaying them at wildly alarming ratios. This isn't a "Well my opinion on this matter" situation, because this disparity is literally defined and backed up by hard numbers that are measured and monitored on an hourly basis, every day, 365 days a year.

I do agree that not everyone needs a #1 hit and gender shouldn't be the definitive factor as to whether or not good music gets its due, but country radio has a long, outstanding history of admittedly prioritizing male voices over female voices. 

[Relaxing Cup]

Nov 15, 2018 18:48:55 GMT -5 14887fan said:

Nov 15, 2018 18:41:18 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

It's just weird because one of her number ones is with Carrie Underwood, someone with a vagina. Plenty of women get airplay on country radio and have over the years, plenty. Not everyone needs to hit number one, and someone certainly should not hit number one just because of their genitals. It should, you know, have to do with good/catchy the music is.

Technically, "Something Bad" never went #1 at country radio. It went #1 on Hot Country Songs, which is a chart that primarily measures sales & streaming. It's an odd conglomerate, and the split between the two charts has been weird.

As for your statement saying "Plenty of women get airplay on country radio and have over the years, plenty," you're just...factually wrong. Like, there is no other way to put it, other than that you're very clearly not looking at weekly charts, daily radio updates, etc. Women are not getting played, and if they are, men are outplaying them at wildly alarming ratios. This isn't a "Well my opinion on this matter" situation, because this disparity is literally defined and backed up by hard numbers that are measured and monitored on an hourly basis, every day, 365 days a year.

I do agree that not everyone needs a #1 hit and gender shouldn't be the definitive factor as to whether or not good music gets its due, but country radio has a long, outstanding history of admittedly prioritizing male voices over female voices. 

Thank you for this information. Hopefully more women will get airplay in the coming years.

[Troublemaker]

Nov 15, 2018 17:52:30 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Maybe less vulgar quotes will translate into more number ones, Miranda. Also, maybe she hasn't had a top 20 in awhile due to the scandals that surround her (ask LeeAnn Rhimes)

Shania has 7 #1s, all solo

Faith Hill has 9 #1 hits, all solo minus 1.

Trisha Yearwood has 5 #1s.


She's trippin.

Yet in 2018, only 2 solo female artists have reached #1. 
I get what Miranda is saying. It might be bad timing but she always has something to say when she doesn’t win at these award shows...

[14887fan]

Nov 15, 2018 19:23:00 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Nov 15, 2018 18:48:55 GMT -5 14887fan said:

Technically, "Something Bad" never went #1 at country radio. It went #1 on Hot Country Songs, which is a chart that primarily measures sales & streaming. It's an odd conglomerate, and the split between the two charts has been weird.

As for your statement saying "Plenty of women get airplay on country radio and have over the years, plenty," you're just...factually wrong. Like, there is no other way to put it, other than that you're very clearly not looking at weekly charts, daily radio updates, etc. Women are not getting played, and if they are, men are outplaying them at wildly alarming ratios. This isn't a "Well my opinion on this matter" situation, because this disparity is literally defined and backed up by hard numbers that are measured and monitored on an hourly basis, every day, 365 days a year.

I do agree that not everyone needs a #1 hit and gender shouldn't be the definitive factor as to whether or not good music gets its due, but country radio has a long, outstanding history of admittedly prioritizing male voices over female voices. 

Thank you for this information. Hopefully more women will get airplay in the coming years.

Of course!! And I’m happy to send you any links, writers to follow on social media or check out online, etc. I’m always happy to talk about this!

[Kris]

Idk. The last songs to hit #1 (I Could Use a Love Song, Legends, Every Little thing) were so dull and boring that I can't believe they reached #1 to begin with.

Is there a statistic of how many males vs. females try to get into the industry though? Because (this is my own personal experience) anyone I've ever known that really tried to get into the country genre have been guys. That's just around me though, I don't know what it's like in the southern states where country's far bigger.

[lady𝓐fan]

Nov 16, 2018 8:00:37 GMT -5 Kris said:

Is there a statistic of how many males vs. females try to get into the industry though? Because (this is my own personal experience) anyone I've ever known that really tried to get into the country genre have been guys. That's just around me though, I don't know what it's like in the southern states where country's far bigger.

I feel like a lot female artists are wary of entering the country industry because there's such little chance of success already. This leads to fewer potential female breakout stars and a lot more discouragement. It's a vicious cycle, really. 

[fearlessarrow]

There's something else I've been wondering that may or may not relate to this but I feel like I see female artists fall short of #1 on Billboard more than male artists when they have an MB only #1. Now this might be due to following Taylor/Carrie/Miranda's chart performances more closely than all the male artists, but I wonder if the sexism aspect plays a role when it comes to close races on the chart.

Now I totally understand that the scope of sexism on country radio is MUCH bigger and I'm not trying to negate that in any way with this post, but this is just something that's been on my mind for a while and I wanted to see if anyone was thinking something similar.

[loveofmusic]

The following info is from an article with some stats about the sexism.

"Of the 97 artists who charted a song in 2016, 14 were solo women (14.4 percent), 62 men and 21 duo or groups. There were 18 female voices (including duos and groups) in the Top 100 most-played songs of 2016.

Of the 89 artists who charted a song in 2017, 14 were solo women (or 15.7 percent), compared to 59 men (66.2 percent) and 16 duo or groups (18 percent). Sixteen percent of the Top 100 songs of 2017 featured a female voice. The historical average (1989 to 2014) of female voices inside any given year's Top 100 country songs is about 25 percent (per Country Aircheck)."


tasteofcountry.com/women-country-music-statistics-data-2018/

[Gary]

Country Airplay Chart Lacks Any Female Artists in Top 20 For First Time

12/5/2018 by Jim Asker

Carrie Underwood, "Love Wins"
Carrie Underwood ranks highest, at No. 22, with 'Love Wins.'

On Billboard's latest Country Airplay chart, dated Dec. 8, the top 20 is a boys club, and a historic one at that: for the first time since the radio-based survey launched in January 1990, the top 20 does not feature any female acts.

The highest position held by a woman on Country Airplay this week belongs to Carrie Underwood's "Love Wins," which climbs 25-22 (up 13 percent to 8.2 million audience impressions in the week ending Dec. 2, according to Nielsen Music).


Looking at the entire 60 positions on Country Airplay, seven female acts appear beyond Underwood: Mindy Smith (as featured on Kenny Chesney's "Better Boat," at No. 27); Kelsea Ballerini ("Miss Me More," No. 32); Hillary Lindsey (as featured on Randy Houser's "What Whiskey Does," No. 40); duo Maddie & Tae ("Friends Don't," No. 41); trio Runaway June ("Buy My Own Drinks," No. 44); Lauren Alaina ("Ladies of the '90s," No. 47); and Carly Pearce ("Closer to You," No. 53).

Notably, Alaina's song recalls a bountiful era for women on the charts (country, pop and beyond). "I was raised on radio waves, where the ladies dominated," she sings, as she shouts out "Britney" (Spears) and smashes by Shania Twain, Destiny's Child, Dixie Chicks and more.

How does this week's Country Airplay top 20 compare historically? Let's look back to this time in 1990 and every five years after to see how songs by women fared.

As recently as three years ago, women were far better represented in the chart's upper reaches. (Totals below include women in solo roles, both as leads and featured artists, and duos/groups with female members.)

Dec. 1, 1990: five
No. 1, K.T. Oslin, "Come Next Monday"
No. 11, Holly Dunn, "You Really Had Me Going"
No. 15, Reba McEntire, "You Lie"
No. 16, Highway 101, "Someone Else's Trouble Now"
No. 19, Baillie and the Boys, "Fool Such as I"

Dec. 2, 1995: three
No. 4, Lorrie Morgan, "Back in Your Arms Again"
No. 10, Pam Tillis, "Deep Down"
No. 19, Dolly Parton & Vince Gill, "I Will Always Love You"

Dec. 2, 2000: seven
No. 5, Dixie Chicks, "Without You"
No. 6, Sara Evans, "Born to Fly"
No. 13, Patty Loveless, "That's the Kind of Mood I'm In"
No. 14, Jo Dee Messina, "Burn"
No. 15, Terri Clark, "A Little Gasoline"
No. 17, Lee Ann Womack, "Ashes by Now"
No. 20, Reba McEntire, "We're So Good Together"

Dec. 3, 2005: six
No. 12, Faith Hill, "Like We Never Loved Before"
No. 13, Little Big Town, "Boondocks"
No. 14, Carrie Underwood, "Jesus, Take the Wheel"
No. 18, Martina McBride, "(I Never Promised You) A Rose Garden"
No. 19, Sugarland, "Just Might (Make Me Believe)"
No. 20, Brad Paisley feat. Dolly Parton, "When I Get Where I'm Going"

Dec. 4, 2010: six
No. 3, The Band Perry, "If I Die Young"
No. 6, Reba McEntire, "Turn On the Radio"
No. 8, Sugarland, "Stuck Like Glue"
No. 9, Carrie Underwood, "Mama's Song"
No. 14, Miranda Lambert, "Only Prettier"
No. 19, Lady Antebellum, "Hello World"

Dec. 5, 2015: four
No. 2, Carrie Underwood, "Smoke Break"
No. 8, Cam, "Burning House"
No. 13, Jana Kramer, "I Got the Boy"
No. 16, Kelsea Ballerini, "Dibs"

Threading 2015 to today, four women (Underwood, Maren Morris, Rhiannon Giddens and Alaina) ranked in the top 20 on the Dec. 3, 2016 chart, and three (Pearce, Morris and Ballerini) did on Dec. 2, 2017.

"Unfortunately, I wish I could say I'm shocked by this statistic, but I'm not," says Johnny Chiang, director of operations, Cox Media Group Houston, which includes Country Airplay reporter KKBQ. "It's sad, really. In all other aspects of life, we're seeing women thrive by becoming CEOs, film directors, best-selling authors, etc. In country music, we really don't have the female talent to compete? That's just ridiculous."

"Even if we narrowed the focus to modern music," Chiang muses, "we have the likes of Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Camila Cabello, Lady Gaga, Adele and many more dominating the charts. And, in our own country world, we have powerful women like Cindy Mabe [president, UMG Nashville], Kristen Williams [senior vp, radio and streaming, Warner Music Nashville], Lesly Simon [general manager, Pearl Records], Kerri Edwards [owner/president, KP Entertainment], Virginia Davis [president, G-Major Management], Donna Jean Kissauer [vp, radio and tour marketing, Borman Entertainment] and many more shaping our business.

"The disparity on the country charts just doesn't make sense and doesn't reflect the female talent we have in our midst," Chiang says. "I don't know whose fault it is, but everyone needs to look at themselves in the mirror and ask if they're contributing to this issue."

[Gary]

Top Country Music Executives Weigh In on Billboard Country Airplay Chart's Historic Lack of Women Artists

NewsRecord Labels

By Melinda Newman | December 13, 2018 10:00 AM EST


For the first time since the 1990 launch of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, the chart dated Dec. 8 included no female acts in the top 20. Then history repeated itself for the chart dated Dec. 15.

While the state of female artists on country radio has been dismal for the last few years, Billboard’s 2018 Country Airplay Artists year-end chart further reflected the bleak state of affairs. Coming in at No. 14, Maren Morris is the only woman in the top 20, marking the worst showing for women on the tally in the past five years. Carrie Underwood, the highest-ranked woman on the year-end Top Country Artists chart at No. 13, only reached No. 33. In 2017, four women made the year-end Country Airplay Artists tally.

Billboard asked top Nashville executives their reaction to the female chart drought and what could be done. While some have been quick to blame country radio, other executives stressed solutions have to come from all sides. Label and publishing executives and managers said they are seeing no slow down in signing female artists, despite the lack of airplay.

Below are their comments, some edited for brevity, in their own words.

R.J. Curtis, incoming executive director, Country Radio Broadcasters: “I’m hoping the most recent Billboard charts with no female artists inside the top 20 signal the low ebb of what appears to be one of the nethermost music cycles any of us can recall. The convenient, default explanation has somehow become ‘Country radio has a gender bias when it comes to the ladies.’ That premise would be dependent on all of country radio together conspiring to lock out female artists. But historically, when you see consensus at that level for any format trend, it’s a classic sign of a low music cycle occurring…Suggesting the ladies -- as a group -- aren’t making great enough music right now is an extremely slippery slope, because music taste is so subjective; most programmers are understandably concerned about the ramifications of verbalizing that. But many PDs I talked to in my previous role [as Nashville editor of radio trade All Access] did feel that way…Though I have no knowledge of it, I have heard anecdotally that labels signed far fewer females in recent years, which, if true, would partially explain our current airplay lapse. We often hear radio is to blame for that too. Programmers have told me the “chicken or the egg" premise is frustrating, because they’re often blamed for being the chicken and the egg...As for solutions, this is just one former PD’s observation from the peanut gallery, and not an official CRB position, but that sway could perhaps be manifested by radio groups redirecting their music and label partnerships in a dedicated effort to correct any disparities. For example, instead of singular airplay initiatives, radio might consider committing to several projects by several ladies at a time, spanning a period of 16-18 months, not six to eight weeks. This strategy could result in credible and genuine artist development, rather than manufactured, occasional hit singles, while triggering a format correction for female artists."

Kent Earls, executive vp/gm, Universal Music Publishing Group Nashville: “It's surprising and it simply can't continue. There's too much great talent and it's so diverse -- not only women, but people of color, too. Any time we're not including all of the greatest talents in music, it prevents music from achieving its full potential. I'm confident that we'll get there, but it will require real commitment for sustainable progress. I am proud to say that UMPG has recently signed six incredible women artist/songwriters and fostered their career development. Three of them have major label deals. This is just a small example.”

John Esposito, chairman/CEO, Warner Music Nashville: “All the labels in Nashville are trying to figure out why there is a lack of females on the radio because there isn’t a lack of genuine commitment to their talent. Obviously country radio is important, but there are many additional avenues to garner consumption of music that we take into consideration when signing any new artists, including streaming, video content, television and more. This approach has allowed us a diverse roster and pushed us to be ever more intentional in our strategy. Country radio is always considered as part of a marketing plan, and we will certainly continue to take the artists we sign to radio in a deliberate, thoughtful way. However, we don’t sign artists who live and die by the radio. Our team finds unique talent and takes that to the consumer, because ultimately the consumer is the judge, and our many woman on our roster make us proud and emboldened.”

Leslie Fram, senior vp, music strategy, CMT: “It’s time for all of us to come together to solve this problem. We must stop pointing fingers to say it’s radio's problem and radio saying it's the labels problem. Can we all just get in a room together and find a solution before we hurt the careers and livelihoods of so many talents artists? We are going to start seeing an issue for male artists as well because that lane has grown exponentially and it will be harder with so many new male artists to break through. Radio is on the defensive and their response is that they are not getting enough females to support. Labels are too afraid to challenge radio when one of their female artists stalls on the charts. I have talked with many female artists who have no idea what to do next. They’ve been told that radio loves their songs, they do all the free shows, everything they are asked to do and still no support. Again -- instead of pointing the finger, putting a band-aid on this, it's time to have a real conversation. Country Radio Seminar would be the perfect place."

Randy Goodman, chairman/CEO, Sony Music Nashville: It’s an ongoing thing and the fact that we’ve got Pistol Annies -- which [includes] Miranda Lambert -- Rachel Wammack and Tenille Townes, we have the Sisterhood in development, I’ve got a big stake in that game. It’s frustrating, but I’ve got some new males I can’t get traction on. I don’t look at it as gender specific, but with as many females as I have on the roster, it’s something that’s concerning to me and I don’t know what the answer is. Just as concerning, there have been more females on the top of the radio charts than on the streaming charts. Here’s Maren Morris, her [third] top 10 off her album, and even with that critical mass airplay, she never translated into a significant streaming artist the way that Dan + Shay or Kane Brown or Luke Combs or even Mitchell Tenpenny are right now. What’s wrong with that picture? If you don’t have a hit at radio -- terrestrial or even at satellite radio -- you’re going to be hard pressed to drive consumption. If you don’t have a female in the top 20, you’re pretty much going to guarantee that you’re not going to have consumption…Radio is changing, more and more they want to see analytics, they want to see activity, they want to see a reason to invest because there are so many new artists coming at them.”

Mary Hilliard Harrington, manager, Dierks Bentley, Lanco, Elle King: “It’s complete bulls**t. I wish I knew why. However, I’m optimistic that we are at the end of this trend. There have recently been more females signed to Nashville’s major labels, and there have been more female executives promoted and given more responsibility. I believe we are going to work together to make change. There are a lot of good men circling in and lifting female artists up too. Bobby Bones just started a female-focused radio show. Dierks just put a relatively unknown new singer/songwriter Tenille Townes on his tour -- not because she’s a girl but because he loves her music and wants to help champion a talented new artist. We need more of those. And we need them now.”

Marion Kraft, artist manager, Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, Pistol Annies: “We have not seen anything close to equal exposure for women artists on terrestrial radio or some of the streaming services. I am hopeful that we are about to reach a turning point where it’s no longer acceptable to not give female artists the same opportunities as their male counterparts. The stakeholders -managers, record labels, publishers, etc. -- in Nashville have always been believers in talented women and have been signing women in the past and continue to do so even in this climate. It's time for our partners to catch up. "

Cindy Mabe, president, Universal Music Group Nashville: “It’s disappointing not just for female artists, but for an audience who wants something more and who value a wider perspective and diversity in sound, lyrical content and overall depth. The country music format has always been a true reflection of the world around us. The current Top 20 airplay charts have completely eliminated 50% of the populations’ perspective and it’s causing them to lose audience. In speaking for Universal Music Group Nashville, we aren’t making choices to sign artists based on what gender, age, race or even what configuration they are in -- from band to duo to solo. We sign artists who are great, who move us and who we believe have the ability to not only connect with an audience, but the ability to change the world with their unique perspective, voice and storytelling and then we figure out how to best get them to the marketplace…The new female artists that we’ve signed are leading that charge with depth, honesty, and unique perspective. I have faith that these women will redefine what country music is. Country music still has and will always have artists with diverse sound and vision. They are just currently less or not exposed at country radio. Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves are both great examples of [artists] finding and connecting to an audience that lives outside of the boundaries of country radio… They are changing the diversity of the format through their perspectives, but also in the way country artists are being discovered and consumed because now more than ever there is no one way to discover and consume music. We live in an on-demand world and when you can’t find what you are looking for in one place, you’ll find it somewhere else."

Troy Tomlinson, president/CEO, Sony/ATV Nashville: “Country music has always been at its best and its healthiest when it’s populated with a musically diverse variety of strong, superstar artists, both men and women…Songwriters write what’s on their minds and in their hearts. Publishers make the best pitch they can with the appropriate artists who are cutting. It is a loss for our format when we have limited opportunities for great songs that are clearly written from a woman’s unique perspective.”

[Gary]

What Did Kacey Musgraves' Triumphant Grammy Night Say About Country Radio?

News

By Tom Roland | February 21, 2019 9:21 AM EST

"She won't do the promotional things that radio expects," said an exec on why country radio ignored what became the Grammy album of the year.

What did Kacey Musgraves' triumphant Grammy night say about country radio?

Musgraves won four Grammys on Feb. 10 -- including the all-genre album of the year for Golden Hour -- but just four days later, programmers found themselves soul searching at the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) about their lack of participation in a big moment for the genre.

"Do you feel like the format missed that?" a medium-market PD asked the room at a "Beer Thirty" open-forum discussion.

"Of course you missed it," responded Edison Media Research president Larry Rosin.

But why? Granted, Musgraves' songs are typically left of center, but they're smart, tuneful and original. To date, only one of her singles has made the top 20 on Country Airplay: 2012's "Merry Go 'Round," which peaked at No. 10.

Many of her peers showed up at CRS with figurative cowboy hats in hand to thank radio for its support, but programmers haven't felt much of an embrace from Musgraves and may be penalizing her for it.

"I know she doesn't play well with the format," said Rosin. "She won't do the promotional things that radio expects." But to ignore what proves to be the Grammys' album of the year?

"I can't imagine anything more embarrassing," he said.

The medium-market programmer said his personal interactions with Musgraves had been "hit and miss," and he openly questioned whether that had influenced his decisions on her singles. (Billboard is keeping the executive's identity confidential because remarks were made in the room that may have led some attendees to believe it was an off-the-record conversation, although a seminar official has confirmed it was not.)

"I don't think 'nice' is a factor in whether you add a record or support an artist," he said, "but I think from just a humanity standpoint, people like to be around people and cheer on people that seem to want to row in the same direction."

Released in March 2018, Golden Hour provided Musgraves a Grammy performance opportunity, and "Rainbow," a ballad she played during the show, jumps to No. 40 on the Country Airplay chart dated Feb. 23, moving 18 positions in its second charting week.

Country radio generally ignored the album, though a regional programmer admitted during the session that he could have played five or six tracks from Golden Hour. Mercury Nashville never pursued a specific single, and the programmer moved on to "other priorities people are in my face about every day."

But all the "Beer Thirty" participants agreed, at least in theory, that their personal feelings about Musgraves or any other act should not prevent them from playing music they believe their listeners want to hear.

"As far as whether an artist is nice to you or not," the regional programmer said, in "the other formats, the artists are assholes."

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

Was Musgraves that way from the beginning? It’s kind of a give and receive thing and the perspective I have is that she didn’t bother working with radio this time around because it hadn’t worked before. It’s her third album and with all of her success, she only had one Top 10 Hit from her first album. If that’s the case, it’s pretty narrow-sighted to put the blame on her now for radio’s short-sightedness with this album.

[The Brazilian Guy 🇧🇷]

Feb 21, 2019 10:27:08 GMT -5 Devil Marlena Nylund said:

Was Musgraves that way from the beginning? It’s kind of a give and receive thing and the perspective I have is that she didn’t bother working with radio this time around because it hadn’t worked before. It’s her third album and with all of her success, she only had one Top 10 Hit from her first album. If that’s the case, it’s pretty narrow-sighted to put the blame on her now for radio’s short-sightedness with this album.

The thing with Kacey is that she's not willing to compromise what she believes in just to get ahead in the game. She has said multiple times that she's not willing to shake hands with people she doesn't like in order to get her music played... nothing against artists who can do that, it's just not who she is. Apart from that, she has also shared how uneven the playing field is in regards to what radio expects from men and women while promoting their songs... being a female artist means radio will expect everything "extra" from you and that only enhanced her discomfort to play along.

Her song "Good Ol' Boys Club" paints a really clear picture of where she stands

[upsidedown]

Nov 15, 2018 17:52:30 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Maybe less vulgar quotes will translate into more number ones, Miranda. Also, maybe she hasn't had a top 20 in awhile due to the scandals that surround her (ask LeeAnn Rhimes)

Shania has 7 #1s, all solo

Faith Hill has 9 #1 hits, all solo minus 1.

Trisha Yearwood has 5 #1s.


She's trippin.

Carrie Underwood is the only female on the Country airplay chart right now's top 15. She's at #13. That's horrid. Miranda is not the one who is trippin. Get a grip. Country radio needs to get its sh*t together.

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

As far as Kacey Musgraves, she's not the first artist who has had a shitty relationship with radio by their own doing. Like it or not, glad handing radio is part of promotion. If you want to get played, you have to do what it takes to get played. Some artists & their labels do the math and figure its not worth it. She has a fanbase, she doesn't need radio to sell tickets & albums. Not everyone is in that position.

That doesn't change the fact that country radio has a very long history of not working with female artists

[zaclord 🌈]

Kacey did the rounds with radio as a new artist when Merry Go Round was released, but after that, she's stated many times that she doesn't believe in this "sucking up" thing with radio and that radio should play her based on the quality of her music, not based on how many free interviews she does for them or free concert tickets she gives them.

After radio almost completely ignored her with her second album, I think she and her team didn't even bother with any of it this time around. It obviously worked out just fine for her, but I can't help but think of the amount of success she could have had if she tried just a *little* and didn't burn the bridges with radio she did. It's not hard to stop in to a radio station the day of your concert in that city to do a quick interview. I 100% agree with Kacey's statement that radio should play music that is good, not music by artists that suck up or play the game the most, but just like any industry, this is networking and the more positive relationships you have with someone, the more willing they will be to help you out. Hoping that both sides can put their differences behind them so that "Rainbow" can be a big hit and Kacey can have many more hits after that.


But more on topic, it's more and more ridiculous how little women are played on radio. The radio PDs that think "women don't want to hear other women" should have seen everyone at the Keslea Ballerini concert I was at last weekend. Obvious huge reactions from the mostly-women crowd. It's not a valid argument at all.

[JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME]

Nov 15, 2018 17:52:30 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Maybe less vulgar quotes will translate into more number ones, Miranda. Also, maybe she hasn't had a top 20 in awhile due to the scandals that surround her (ask LeeAnn Rhimes)

How is what she said vulgar? What you said about what you wanted Nelly to do to you with his penis in the back of his bus was vulgar and tasteless.

She is breaking it down into the most basic terms. Men have a penis. Some have more than one. It's just what it is. It's simple anatomy. She is angry and frustrated about how she had to work with a male artist to get attention on the song or for programmers to even play the song.

Simple promotion and interviews and stuff is normal, but if female artists have to go above and beyond and do even more to still barely get played, that is not okay. Forcing radio programmers to have to play a certain percentage of male or female artists isn't the solution either but something needs to change.

[Deleted]

Mar 3, 2019 2:45:39 GMT -5 JOJO SIWA DERANGEMENT SYNDROME said:

Nov 15, 2018 17:52:30 GMT -5 Relaxing Cup said:

Maybe less vulgar quotes will translate into more number ones, Miranda. Also, maybe she hasn't had a top 20 in awhile due to the scandals that surround her (ask LeeAnn Rhimes)

How is what she said vulgar? What you said about what you wanted Nelly to do to you with his penis in the back of his bus was vulgar and tasteless.

She is breaking it down into the most basic terms. Men have a penis. Some have more than one. It's just what it is. It's simple anatomy. She is angry and frustrated about how she had to work with a male artist to get attention on the song or for programmers to even play the song.

Simple promotion and interviews and stuff is normal, but if female artists have to go above and beyond and do even more to still barely get played, that is not okay. Forcing radio programmers to have to play a certain percentage of male or female artists isn't the solution either but something needs to change.

Not all men has penises 

[Gary]

Female Artists Account for Just 21% of Songs on Billboard's Country Airplay Chart, New Study Finds

News

By Chris Eggertsen | August 02, 2019 8:13 PM EDT
Maren Morris



SongData research finds a 'significant gender imbalance' in country radio.

On Dec. 5, 2018, Billboard reported zero female artists in the top 20 of the Country Airplay chart for the first time since the chart's launch in 1990 -- a phenomenon that continued for three consecutive weeks and marked the culmination of a significant decline in female voices on country radio over the course of nearly three decades. Now, a new study by SongData (in consultation with WOMAN Nashville) has found a “significant gender imbalance” on the chart that suggests the problem is ongoing.

The results of the study, which was published Friday (Aug. 2), paint a stark portrait of that imbalance. Focusing on the weekly Country Airplay (as opposed to Hot Country Songs) chart between January 2018 and July 2019, the study found that during that time period, only 14 songs by female artists and male-female ensembles peaked in the top 20 (an average of roughly two a week), while only seven of those reached the top 10 and only four reached the No. 1 spot.

This compares with a total of 111 songs by male artists reaching the top 20 during that same period and a whopping 45 songs peaking at No. 1 -- meaning that men held the No. 1 position for 77 of the 81 weeks of the study period (95%), versus just four weeks (5%) for women. The solo female artists that peaked at No. 1 during the study period were Maren Morris (“I Could Use a Love Song” and “Girl”) and Kelsea Ballerini (“Legends”), while a third -- Bebe Rexha -- reached it co-billed with Florida Georgia Line on “Meant to Be."

Of songs entering the overall chart during that same time period, those by female artists and male-female ensembles numbered just 53 (21%), versus 195 for male artists (79%).

The SongData study additionally found that the majority of songs by female artists on the chart (69.5%) peaked outside the top 20, with the largest percentage of those peaking in the bottom 10 (#51-60). Even in the bottom 40 positions on the chart, songs by male artists outnumbered songs by women nearly two to one.

The study did report some positive signs. Following an eight-month period in 2018 that saw a weekly average of just six songs by women entering the Country Airplay chart, 2019 saw a significant improvement on that average, helping bring the overall 19-month average up to 10 songs weekly. Additionally, Morris’ “Girl” reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart on July 29, 2019, making her the first solo female country artist to do so in 17 months (following Ballerini).

“There is much work to be done to create equal opportunities for female artists,” Watson continues, “but these improvements suggest a greater commitment to supporting women in country music at a moment when female artists are being celebrated so widely outside of radio.”

As to the broader implications of her findings, Watson correlates the decline in songs by female artists on the Country Airplay chart with an overall drop in ratings for country radio, which have dipped 12.9% between 2012 and 2019, according to a recent report by Country Aircheck. Though many of the interviewees in that report spoke to the “increasing homogeneity and overwhelming pop sound of country format radio” as a reason for the dip, Watson notes that none correlated that homogeneity with the decline in female voices.

“The exclusion of women from this space contributes to the broader crisis of homogeneity within country music culture,” Watson writes. “This crisis can be reversed, though, by including more women -- and male-female ensembles -- in radio programming. This action would benefit not just the artists (who deserve equal access), but also the country listening audiences and the long-term health and vitality the entire country music ecosystem.”

Country Airplay’s weekly rankings are determined using Billboard’s audience-impression method, which cross-references Nielsen airplay data with audience information compiled by the Arbitron ratings system across 149 reporting stations. Under this method, a song being played in a larger market is weighed more heavily than one played in a smaller market.

[Deleted]

These articles about women in country music and how they are treated in general on radio is the reason why I really don't mess with Country radio like that anymore than I used to in the past. When I was going into high school, I used to hear more females than I do now, like Martina McBride, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Dixie Chicks, Terri Clark, Jo Dee Messina, She Daisey and more and even the newer females at the time that weren't as big as the one's that I mention like Jennifer Hanson and Jessica Andrews. Now, I only hear the same three name being played over and over and maybe one or two new female artist every two months or something like that, it's amazing how different it is then to now, even in that standpoint.

I know there has been way more males than females in Country music, but I feel that they just don't give the females any opportunity to even breakout and be heard like they used to. Hope they play some more females in Country music and sorry about the long essay, had to get it out of my chest.

[kimberly]

Aug 3, 2019 17:41:31 GMT -5 @sape2830 said:

Now, I only hear the same three name being played over and over and maybe one or two new female artist every two months or something like that, it's amazing how different it is then to now, even in that standpoint.

I know there has been way more males than females in Country music, but I feel that they just don't give the females any opportunity to even breakout and be heard like they used to. Hope they play some more females in Country music and sorry about the long essay, had to get it out of my chest.

Since 2006, there have been 13 CMA awards.

Female vocalist of the year went to Miranda Lambert 7 times, Carrie Underwood 5 times, and Taylor Swift once. No other women are allowed to exist in the country space. They gave Kacey Musgraves best new artist in 2013, Song of the year in 2014, and album of the year in 2018 but never bothered to give her the female trophy. 

On a similar note, CMA's Artist (Entertainer) of the Year last went to a woman in 2011 (Taylor Swift), 2009 (Taylor Swift) and 2000 (Dixie Chicks). Now tell me how this genre isn't sexist?

[bat1990]

I just wanna say

How much money did Shania Twain make for Nashville from 1995-2005? Add in Reba, Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, Carrie, Martina, Miranda, LeAnn Rimes, Lee Ann Womack, Trisha Yearwood, and Dolly Parton, among many others, and yet here we are. Male-dominated, bro-Country-pop and not much ekse,

[The Brazilian Guy 🇧🇷]

These tweets got me 'happy and sad at the same time' (sorry for the pun lol)

[Az Paynter]

I've really only been watching Carrie's progression with 'Southbound' so I didn't pick up on this right away; but who ordered the tomato salad? I see Carrie, Runaway June and Lindsay Ell all in the top 10 at once.