Miranda Lambert on Lack of Women on Country Radio: “It’s B.S., Straight Up!”
Tired on hearing people whining about the lack of women on country radio? Perhaps it’s because despite all of the protestations and constant focus on the issue, it still is a huge lingering problem that continues to get worse instead of better. And now Miranda Lambert, who has spoken out about the issue before, is getting hopping mad about it and is more willing than every to spark a fire in the press.
“It’s B.S., straight up!” Miranda told Redbook recently, while making sure folks understood this just wasn’t all about her. “Carrie Underwood still struggles, and that just blows my mind because she’s got a million hits and she’s Carrie Freakin’ Underwood. I tell them at the radio stations, ‘Just play one of us; it doesn’t have to be me. Then we all win.’ I’ll fight for it until I can’t no more.”
Right now on the country radio charts, there are only four solo women represented, and the sole solo woman in the Top 10 is Carly Pearce with “Every Little Thing” at #6—a song currently benefiting from iHeartMedia’s “On The Verge” program which inflates spin numbers for a specific song. Maren Morris is the only other woman in the Top 20 with “I Could Use A Love Song.” Miranda Lambert’s “Tin Man” written with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall has been suffering all year to gain serious traction on the charts, and currently sits at #24—which is a peak for the song. Miranda’s previous single “We Should Be Friends” stalled at #26, despite Miranda’s most recent record The Weight of These Wings selling through well and being certified platinum by the RIAA.
Recently there has been some concern over where the women on pop radio are going as well, but where pop’s female representation (or lack thereof) is cyclical, country’s is more systemic. There has never been a moment in recent history where women have even received a quarter of the representation on country radio. Many wonder when people will stop complaining about the issue, but perhaps they should wonder when it will be solved so people stop complaining about it.
Women artists have spoken up about it, and sometimes it seems like the media is obsessed with it. But until the powers that be on radio start to listen, or maybe the male artists that continue to benefit from the skewed numbers start to speak up as well, a semblance of equalization returning to country radio will be more of a dream than a reality. And this isn’t just about gender. It happens to be that if you had more women on country radio, you would also experience an elevated level of quality since it’s often the women leading the way when comes to the degree of substance and country you get from “country” songs in the mainstream.
Cameron
October 26, 2017 @ 8:34 am
Oh this article again?
Trigger
October 26, 2017 @ 8:39 am
Yep.
Ajax666
October 26, 2017 @ 11:05 am
Maybe the lady’s should focus more on the music and less on their looks. Most look like playboy bunnys
Dan Morris
October 26, 2017 @ 11:33 am
And all the male artists look like male models so whatever point you’re trying to make just comes off as sexist.
Desperado Destry
October 26, 2017 @ 12:09 pm
Exactly… Thank you. How about all of the male artists that are nothing more than prettyboys. So darn pretty they are almost half as gorgeous as the women they have in their videos… and they’re manly men. Ha.
Ajax666
October 26, 2017 @ 12:15 pm
Point is, its not about gender, its about quality.
Gina
October 26, 2017 @ 12:29 pm
Because we are judged for our looks first and our talent and brains second. And not just in country music, but in life, my friend.
Honky
October 26, 2017 @ 1:48 pm
Do you think you’ll ever quit pretending that this is a problem?
FeedThemHogs
October 26, 2017 @ 8:42 am
Yea, because it’s still a problem
albert
October 26, 2017 @ 8:48 am
Completely different topic but maybe not ……
Ever notice how much GREAT GREAT timeless Motown music got played right alongside all of the pop and rock stuff back in the day ? Ever notice that when nearly every radio station under the sun started to play ”oldies” over and over and over and over again they never played any Motown ? I have .
Yeah …..thank goodness for SCM and many other like-minded resources for keeping all of us aware of the women out there making what I consider to be the best country music overall . Who knows what or who actually pulls the levers behind radio’s curtain anymore …… that machine is broken .
eckiezZ
October 26, 2017 @ 8:52 am
More than last year I feel like this year women have really delivered on par with the dudes. The new Margo Price record, the new Dori Freeman. The Eilen Jewell record is more blues rock than country folk but that doesn’t cancel out the fact that it’s a great album that deserves more attention.
Jenny Don’t & The Spurs – Call Of The Road
Héra Ménard – Héra Ménard
Lydia Ramsey – Bandita
Lilly Hiatt – Trinity Lane
The Mastersons – Transient Lullaby
Lynne Hanson – Uneven Ground
Sara Petite – Road Less Traveled
Kasey Chambers – Dragonfly
Brigitte DeMeyer & Will Kimbrough – Mockingbird Soul
Kim Nall & The Fringe – Lay Your Vision Down
Lauren Barth – Forager
Rachel Baiman – Shame
Alice Jayne – Inside The Cover
Pieta Brown – Postcards
All damn fine records that you won’t regret spending time with.
Aggc
October 26, 2017 @ 12:22 pm
Add Sunny Sweeney to the list.
Gary
October 26, 2017 @ 2:05 pm
You might add “Rebecca Jed” & the (Bucksnort beauties) to the list. You can find her on YouTube, Reverbnation, cdbaby, & her own website. She just came out with a new album.
TwangBob
October 27, 2017 @ 3:41 am
And the Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer collaboration “Not Dark Yet” is an incredible album that will never be heard on country radio.
Splitear
October 26, 2017 @ 8:59 am
Nashville continues to turn-out cookie cutter women, who probably were at one time (and secretly may still be) good musicians. However, the machine processes them so much that you can hardly tell their songs, their voices, and even their looks apart. Gone are the days when we had mainstream female powerhouses like Reba, Shania and long-gone are the days of Patsy, Kitty and my dear Tammy. County music is in a state of genre-confusion right now, and women are losing out.
Fortunately there are some great artists outside of the mainstream who are putting out great music, and I even count Miranda as one of those on the outside. We just have to support good music by buying albums and going to concerts. Let radio wallow in it’s own filth.
CountryCharm
October 26, 2017 @ 9:03 am
Maybe she should fight the bloc voting that gives her award after award even in years she doesn’t even do anything. We can see the immediate effects on iTunes when artists are spotlighted on televised country award shows and it’s idiotic that the same women are propped up year after year. Give talented women who put out great work their due and we will see more of them prosper.
I also don’t really see how Carrie is struggling on radio, doesn’t she have 25 #1’s compared to Miranda’s 3-4? Add in Carrie’s 7 Grammys but she can’t seem to win ACM/CMA awards because she’s not with the right agency.
Trigger
October 26, 2017 @ 9:14 am
The passive/agressive, Miranda Lambert/Carrie Underwood feud roiling among certain fans always confounds me in how they so clearly can’t see through their own bias. Miranda Lambert’s comments were far from a backhanded compliment to Carrie Underwood. If anything, I think Miranda carries a lot of guilt for upstaging Carrie at awards shows and such, and Miranda goes out of her way to say Carrie is a better singer than her. The last thing country’s women need right now is a fight among themselves. I agree bloc voting is an issue, especially with the ACM’s, but if it results in Miranda Lambert winning over so Bro-Country hack for Album of the Year, I’m all for it. Fight fire with fire, and deal with the bloc voting as a separate issue. As Miranda said, a rising tide for country’s women raises all boats.
CountryCharm
October 26, 2017 @ 9:30 am
You prove my point for me. The politics and bloc voting has set it up so it’s Carrie vs Miranda which is absolutely ridiculous. When we discus men it’s Jason vs Luke vs Chris vs Thomas vs other Chris vs Eric vs…. With women it’s Miranda vs Carrie, how did we get there?
In your fighting fire with fire you burned down the whole forest(women in country) just to leave that one tree, Miranda, standing.
Trigger
October 26, 2017 @ 12:18 pm
So now the lack of representation of women on country radio is my fault? 🙂
I agree, the fact that country has only two female superstars creates natural conflict. But I’m still not sure why we’re teeing off on Miranda, or bloc voting due to what Miranda said. It seems to me she was trying to create unity.
I have covered the bloc voting issue numerous times as well.
https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/cmas-new-rules-help-reduce-campaigning-but-will-it-slow-wme-dominance/
CountryCharm
October 26, 2017 @ 2:15 pm
Nobody said it was your fault, you don’t have that influence. I commented on your fighting fire with fire scenario.
It’s easy wanting to create unity in radio now when it’s you being affected but to me the way women in country are treated is systemic to the entire industry that lead to Miranda being one part of a 2 horse race. If we want to create unity shouldn’t we go after the whole system that’s responsible for keeping women back instead of the just radio which again is fairer to a broader group of women than country award shows?
CountryCharm
October 26, 2017 @ 9:50 am
I also would like to point out your comment about Miranda feeling guilt, taking a stand and saying hey it’s unfair how this biased award system is set up because there are women who really deserve to be winning these awards. She doesn’t do that because the awards benefit her. Just feeling guilt towards Carrie is another point of contention, there are far more talented women in country than just Miranda and Carrie. Kacey Musgraves can win a Grammy but somehow she’s not good enough to win CMA awards. Ashley Monroe, Brandi Clark, Martina McBride. Women who can get nominated for and win Grammys but sorry not good enough for a CMA or ACM.
You might think it’s a separate issue but it all plays a big part in why women are treated like second class citizens on radio when the country main body only lets 2 at a time shine.
CrazyEx
October 26, 2017 @ 8:48 pm
Obviously….you have a personal distaste for miranda…fact is…Carrie is considerably more pop sounding than miranda…maybe that is what the “voting block” doesn’t like and why they prefer Miranda’s sound…and songwriting.
However….instead of trying to put one camp against the other…maybe use that energy to go after country radio…and the fact that no women were included in for entertainer of the year..
Gabe
October 27, 2017 @ 5:51 am
No female was nominated for entertainer of the year because NONE of them deserved it!
Carrie and kacey are on break, Miranda is just there in terms of single and album sales, tour sales are laughable, Maren and Kelsea have been supporting acts on other people’s tours…
CountryCharm
October 27, 2017 @ 7:37 am
If you’re going to insert yourself into the conversation can you at least educate yourself first? There is no voting ‘block’.
Windmills Country who was very pro women in country did an amazing job explaining it layman’s terms before her passing. You will find it on Google.
CrazyEx
October 27, 2017 @ 10:08 am
Uhmmmm…..that is why “voting block” was “” was actually referencing your mention of it earlier……so…….maybe you should educate yourself….
CountryCharm
October 28, 2017 @ 9:24 am
You don’t know even know what your referencing. Please read Windmills thorough explanation. Thank you.
Heather Leigh Moore
October 26, 2017 @ 10:43 am
Miranda’s music in my opinion is some of the best in mainstream country from the beginning of her career. She has continued to put out great albums for over a decade. When others just repackage the “hit” album over and over as new albums year after year Miranda’s art is appreciated even more. Usually Miranda’s awards are won over men whose music is generic.
The Vocalist Award is the only place where I think it could go to either her, Carrie, Maren, Brandy, Aubrie, etc. any year.
Anyway once again when we should all be uniting for more opportunities for female singers on air- someone has to turn it against the one speaking up. Miranda has her fans, she will be fine either way, but the new talent won’t be. I’m glad that Miranda continues talking about radio, taking out female openers, etc. to help.
CountryCharm
October 26, 2017 @ 11:45 am
Some of the best, nobody is denying that but not the best year after year even in years where there’s nothing coming from her.
Wanting equal treatment of women in all facets of country music is what we should be uniting against. Singling out only 2 women and rewarding them year after year hasn’t done anybody any good well except for Miranda. Even radio is more diverse. We’ve had several new comers and younger women getting number ones these last couple of years and they should be pushed more into the limelight at country awards where a far more diverse audience gets to experience them than just people who listen to country radio.
Trigger
October 26, 2017 @ 12:21 pm
One of the reasons there are only two women superstars is because country music is not developing any new female talent. You develop female talent in the mainstream on the radio. Them the awards come. It’s not coincidence that it has solely become the Carrie and Miranda show over the last few years as Taylor Swift jumped to pop, and country radio began to completely ignore women.
CountryCharm
October 26, 2017 @ 2:36 pm
IMO the new talent gets shoved aside because of politics. Miranda has never been good at radio. Hasn’t Kelsea tied her for career #1 with just one album? Kacey a Grammy winner overlooked. Maren another Grammy winner passed over. Carrie 7 time Grammy winner, oh sorry you lose again this year with your 25 #1’s and sold out tours.
The whole system needs an overhaul not just radio.
RWP
October 27, 2017 @ 5:49 am
I’ve said it before on some of the other 840 blogs about Miranda being a champion advocate for women in country or being some kind of badass – when she WAS on the radio all the time and winning awards( as “CountryCharm” pointed out EVERY year,even years when she had NOTHING out), you heard nothing from her on this topic…I’ve heard her defend Carrie before,and maybe a quick “yeah they need to play more women”, but she didn’t get this LOUD about it until they quit playing HER and after she made millions…What a phony.
sophie
October 27, 2017 @ 9:10 am
As a woman, I just relate more to Miranda’s thoughtful music. Knowing that she writes a lot of it herself makes it even more personal.
Carrie has great vocals, but I simply don’t relate to her pop/country sound.
As to whether Miranda should win so many awards, I suspect there is a FU Blake element to some of the votes. It is richly deserved.
I can’t recall many other celebrity breakups where the equally famous spouse was dragged so publicly through the mud of the gossip mills…No one deserves that..
The Nashville powers have clearly shown whose side they are on. Now that the dust has settled on that mess, perhaps they will vote differently. But I don’t see Miranda losing, in any event. She is one of a kind, she does it all. Writes, sings, and plays a passable guitar, Maybe you would feel differently if she had one of her rescue dogs do tricks during her performance too.. A phony? I think not.
RWP
October 27, 2017 @ 10:34 am
Cmon. One of her rescue dogs doing tricks on stage would make her fan girls/boys piss themselves and I would have to look at another weeks worth of articles on this site about how much more of an outlaw badass she is.
LOL And you never heard of anyone getting dragged more publicly over cheating on their equally famous husband??
Ever heard of the name Leann Rimes?
sophie
October 27, 2017 @ 2:27 pm
Of course I’ve heard of Leann Rimes. She bores me, so I have no interest in her personal drama.
CountryCharm
October 28, 2017 @ 9:28 am
Blake got graduated and stopped winning awards 2 years before their divorce. Why does he even matter in a conversation about Miranda?
I get Miranda has some hardcore fans but please can you guys at least educate yourselves a little about what’s going on in the industry before juet blindly defending your favorite?
Whiskey_Pete
October 26, 2017 @ 10:12 am
Maybe she should ‘take a knee’ at the next award show.. or something to that effect to bring awareness of this problem.
No really. Might get people talking about it on a larger scale.
Splitear
October 26, 2017 @ 10:32 am
The “ultra-patriotism” that’s being pushed on people would kill her career, and it’s sad to think about, but may threaten her personal safety. Look at what happened with the Dixie Chicks, the “America-First” mentality has completely killed the “Americans First” ideals that this country built around.
CountryCharm
October 26, 2017 @ 10:41 am
Miranda came out and said she’ll never talk about politics and I support her in that. It’s a now win situation for her.
James
October 26, 2017 @ 2:07 pm
I’m glad that would kill her career. But she would never do that because she loves america and what it stands for
CountryCharm
October 26, 2017 @ 10:40 am
You don’t want people talking if the talking is going to be about you.
james
October 26, 2017 @ 5:05 pm
lol r u kidding!? she would get dixie chicked before the next morning!
Clint
October 26, 2017 @ 9:28 am
Maybe they should play Carrie Underwood’s new single…
Seak05
October 26, 2017 @ 9:50 am
Ok, I laughed at this. Carrie actually hasn’t had any problem getting played at radio either. Miranda is also a different category in many respects. But she’s right about women in general.
Leah
October 26, 2017 @ 10:08 am
Actually Carrie has fallen short on Billboard charts which is what the industry counts. She can get Mediabase #1s but still takes twice as long as a Luke. Carrie should get just as much support as him but NEVER happens. Miranda has also NEVER been a radio darling even when her singles were out selling other #1s. The problem is radio needs to play FEMALE artists. We will never get equal but damn it’s ridiculous.
PS Friends & I have been calling in to radio on a regular basis and we keep being told DJs have no control and will try to play artist. So seems to me the only way to change is hire new radio execs.
Seak05
October 26, 2017 @ 5:12 pm
Tell that to Carrie’s label & music row in general. The last several pushes from Carrie’s label have ended on Saturday, which is when mb closes, rather than Sunday when bb ends. And even Luke isn’t getting singles up the charts as fast as Luke. Carrie goes up the chart as fast as anyone else.
Really when it comes to radio Miranda and Carrie are in a different spot. Their singles will get a shot at radio, if they test well they’ll go up the chart. Most women don’t even get to the point where they can get tested.
Also, sales aren’t radio’s focus. You buying a song on iTunes doesn’t help radio.
Gabe
October 27, 2017 @ 6:06 am
This is the problem I have with these research, who are the audience for it? Because most of the time those songs that do well research wise do not translate into good sales. In that case, what is the REAL metric for radio success?
Seak05
October 26, 2017 @ 9:48 am
Trigger, the iheart radio on the verge thing for Carly ended months ago. They’re already on their next on the verge artist. It’s only for a very limited time. The benifit is that it boosts it high enough to get testing & to introduce it into rotation. But after that it’s up to the song/label etc just like any other song
(Also songs get chosen for on the verge bc programmers like the song)
Kevin Davis
October 26, 2017 @ 1:44 pm
I was about to make the same comment. She’s not “currently” benefiting from On the Verge, and she hasn’t for a while — although she undoubtedly got a boost from it. I don’t like the pay-for-play b.s. either, but it seems that “Every Little Thing” is where it’s at on its own merit, as far as possible in the industry nowadays.
Trigger
October 26, 2017 @ 1:59 pm
No way “Every Little Thing” is where it is right now if not for “On The Verge.” What it might prove though is if singles from women are given a chance, they can then be successful on their own. “Every Little Thing” is pretty good, and is doing well on the Hot Songs Chart which means there’s true acceptance in the public.
Kevin Davis
October 26, 2017 @ 2:17 pm
Sure, I didn’t mean that it’s where it’s at solely on its own merit. Like I said, it was boosted with On the Verge, and surely that’s indispensable to its airplay success afterwards. But, like you say, there’s true acceptance in the public. The song has resonated with lots of listeners, and that’s to be celebrated. My only concern was that “On the Verge” should not be overly credited with the song’s success.
Seak05
October 26, 2017 @ 5:07 pm
As Kevin said, it certainly benefited from on the verge. On the verge is more about getting from 50-20 though. That’s a major sticking point for many new songs & artists. At this point though Carly is where she is because radio is choosing to continue to play her song.
What is really frustrating though is what happens to women with the follow up single. Lauren Alaina’s current single is the perfect example. Radio is uninterested on adding more different songs from female artists, even when they find one song that works.
Whiskey_Pete
October 26, 2017 @ 9:56 am
She’s like a modern day Loretta Lynn. Her lyrics can be pretty gut wrenching. This women deserves more spotlight:
‘Amber Digby’
Now that’s some country.
Not that indie/folk/american shit you guys keep spouting. Cut your man buns.
Whiskey_Pete
October 26, 2017 @ 9:57 am
Linky:
https://youtu.be/aAAH0WBkWOo
Marc
October 26, 2017 @ 12:15 pm
Love love love Amber Digby. My new recent favorite female is Teea Goens, just a beautiful voice.
DJ
October 26, 2017 @ 10:19 am
From Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/10/23/katie-armiger-says-was-blacklisted-from-country-music-after-sexual-harassment-allegations.print.html
And for those who prefer attacking a messenger
https://www.msn.com/en-my/entertainment/story/katie-armiger-i-was-blacklisted-from-country-music/vi-AAtWYdh
Fuzzy TwoShirts
October 26, 2017 @ 10:33 am
and Carrie Underwood not being on the radio is a bad thing?
Ulysses McCaskill
October 26, 2017 @ 8:47 pm
Yes. Because we need more pop!
Kent
October 26, 2017 @ 10:43 am
And tomorrow where will probably be an announcement of a release date for yet another album by a female band. That is, if I been able to solve their damn riddles correctly…It may just be about a another single again…
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bat6APbFaRf/?taken-by=firstaidkitband
Craig
October 26, 2017 @ 11:02 am
I’m not buying. Country radio loves/needs $$. If female country singers were bringing in the $$ then there’d be nothing but females on country radio. I’m a huge Miranda fan, but there’s no conspiracy. Show me the polls that demonstrate that the country radio demographics wants to hear more women and I’ll admit I’m wrong and wear the tinfoil hat.
Saving Bro Country Music
October 26, 2017 @ 11:47 am
– On the surface, there is some truth to what you’re saying. I mean, as much as we mock the whole “tomato-gate” incident, the guy’s point was at least partially supported by data.
Female songs, moreover, tend to struggle with audience research. There have been some exceptions – Lauren Alaina’s “Road Less Traveled,” Kelsea Ballerini’s “Peter Pan” – and they ended up hitting #1 at radio.
But the problem is that callout research only tells you what current radio listeners want to hear. It doesn’t tell you how to attract NEW listeners – which should be the goal.
The fact that female artists (and traditional-sounding male artists) tend to sell as well as (if not better than) male counterparts with more radio exposure suggests that featuring those kinds of artists could be a great way to bring new listeners (or disgruntled listeners) to country radio.
– And while I’m generally inclined to oppose ‘affirmative action’ type arguments (especially when some of the biggest, most industry-supported musicians ARE female), it’s interesting to consider a simple reality:
Every female song that received the “On The Verge” airplay ended up selling relatively well. Even the ones like RaeLynn’s God Made Girls and Maren Morris’ My Church that didn’t get to #1 on the radio chart.
That isn’t true of all male OTV acts.
This shows that there is a real opportunity here. There are female songs that WILL connect with audiences if given a chance.
James
October 26, 2017 @ 2:17 pm
Affirmative action is a joke in all instances
Trigger
October 26, 2017 @ 2:33 pm
There’s a difference between Affirmative Action and fighting against institutionalized inequality.
Honky
October 26, 2017 @ 5:46 pm
Institutionalized inequality?
I wish your sociopolitical and economical prowess were as good as your writing skills.
Heck, for that matter, I wish your taste in music were as good as your writing ability.
Ulysses McCaskill
October 26, 2017 @ 8:47 pm
I think the only real institutional inequality going on is the discrimination being directed at artists that make real country music.
seak05
October 27, 2017 @ 4:11 am
The entire point of affirmative action is to fight against institutionalized inequality.
CountryKnight
October 27, 2017 @ 6:57 am
Affirmative action: Giving something to someone just because their skin color.
Equality!
Ajax666
October 27, 2017 @ 7:15 am
I think it’s a disgrace that there are not more transgender country stars being played on the radio, i demand something being done about it, now!!!
CountryKnight
October 27, 2017 @ 9:15 am
I’m triggered now!
Fat Freddy's Cat
October 26, 2017 @ 1:20 pm
I would like to echo Saving Bro Country Music’s fine comment. I just don’t buy the notion that nobody wants to hear women sing. Granted, this isn’t a statistically valid sample but whenever I go to see female acts like Karen Jonas, Lindi Ortega, Sunny Sweeney, or Brandy Clark the audiences like what they’re hearing and respond enthusiastically.
Of course these audiences and country radio audiences aren’t the same group. But doesn’t the industry need to grow its audience? Does it really want to limit itself to drunken college kids?
CountryKnight
October 26, 2017 @ 11:36 am
Same old article equals the same old response.
Until country music fixes its stupid problem, how it is going to fix this problem? Right now, artificially adding more women on the radio would just result in more poor music because we know Music Row won’t play the good ones. One Kelsea is enough, thank you very much.
Of course, Miranda is speaking out now because her radio career is winding down and she has nothing to lose. Not impressed.
A.K.A. City
October 26, 2017 @ 11:46 am
I hope Trigger and other media sources print these articles until they are no longer necessary.
Matt
October 26, 2017 @ 11:52 am
I do not know enough about the inner workings of the music industry to form an informed opinion about a country radio bias toward women. I do know this: I do not like most of what I hear from the women of country music today. It just does not resonate with me, which is different than than how I felt 20 years ago.
The exceptions are Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves, whose superb songwriting I appreciate even if the meaning does not relate to me.
Robin
October 26, 2017 @ 11:53 pm
Totally agree, although I’m not sure if it’s the cause or symptom of the problem. On one hand, it’s not like women didn’t get any radio play or sell albums in the 90s and 2000s. Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift – love their music or hate it, they had to have made their labels lots of money, right? You’d think the labels would want successors to Miranda and Carrie.
On the other, I tried coming up with some memorable female acts who have emerged since 2010 and it’s a short list unless you count non-radio-friendly acts like the Secret Sisters. Meanwhile, even the silliest bro-country acts often have a song that’s kinda annoyingly catchy. There are literally millions of 20-something ladies, you’d think Music Row could find two or three who are reasonably talented and appealing to a wide audience, but I guess not. Maybe they just coach the charisma right out of them.
OlaR
October 26, 2017 @ 11:58 am
All will be good (maybe)…a new Cam single will be relased tomorrow.
Maybe Cam can return to the Top 10 with her new song. Maybe “country”-radio will play the song. Maybe Cam can replace one of the other “girl”-singers on the playlists. Maybe a station or two will play her new song AND the other songs by female artists. Maybe…
Billboard Airplay (#31 – #60): #59 – Runaway June / #57 – Danielle Bradbery / #53 – Lauren Alaina / #49 – Maren Morris feat. Vince Gill / #42 – Lindsay Ell + LBT, Tori Kelly as featured singer on the new Chris Lane single, Faith Hill duet with Tim McGraw, Lady A…that’s it.
New Releases / Female Artists:
Jess Moskaluke – Past The Past – EP – 11/03 (Canada / Country-Pop)
Runaway Angel – Zero – EP – 10/27 (Canada / Country-Pop / Female Trio)
Tenille Arts – Rebel Child – Album – 10/20 (Canada / Country-Pop)
Lorrie Morgan & Pam Tillis – Come See Me & Come Lonely – Album – 11/10
Lee Ann Womack – The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone – Album – 10/27
Sarah Leete – Sarah Leete – EP – 11/03 (Australia)
Emily Taylor Kelso – Something Beautiful – Album – 11/10 (Canada)
Vanessa Delaine – Wild & Free – Album – 10/31 (Australia)
Avery
October 26, 2017 @ 12:09 pm
Simply put, along with some of the other great country singers in the past who continue to put out new music, Miranda’s time is done. Do I agree with it, no, but she most certainly is.
Not at all feeling Carly Pearce, but hoping newcomer Ashley McBryde will gain attention and get radio time.
Desperado Destry
October 26, 2017 @ 12:32 pm
I remember hearing Luke Bryan, Jason Isbell, Brothers Osborne, state that it’s a shame women don’t get more airplay on country radio. Why the hell don’t they do something about it then if they feel that way? I’m not expecting them to turn Music Row around, no I’m not saying that. All I’m saying is if some “bros” actually took a stand and didn’t leave the fight up to the ladies we might see a change. But then again how can we expect them to do that when all the girls are good for is… well you know.
Mike W.
October 26, 2017 @ 12:57 pm
What the hell is Jason Isbell going to do about it? What “pull” does he have at Country Radio, a format he has never and will never get play on?
Desperado Destry
October 26, 2017 @ 1:11 pm
All I said is what Jason Isbell said along with some others. You know… talk is cheap, actions speak louder. Jason Isbell is talking… that’s all I’m saying.
Mike W.
October 26, 2017 @ 1:49 pm
Right, but Jason Isbell IS doing what he can….by having only female artists open up his shows during his Ryman stint. I just think your criticism of Isbell is off-center here. He has zero Country radio presence or pull, what possible impact (aside from raising the issue and having women open his shows) can he have?
Desperado Destry
October 26, 2017 @ 2:08 pm
I’m not expecting Jason or anyone else to do anything singlehandedly… Music Row along with country radio is too powerful. If there are enough male acts that say they want more women on the radio… it will change. That’s what I was trying to say. The sad truth is you’re not going to get enough male acts saying they want a change.
musicfan
October 26, 2017 @ 1:10 pm
It doesn’t solve the radio problem, but on his recent run of six sold out shows at The Ryman, Jason Isbell had a different opening act each night, all female.
Desperado Destry
October 26, 2017 @ 1:46 pm
If my point is going to get lost because of Jason Isbell… then forget I mentioned him. I wasn’t calling out Jason or anyone else directly. All I was saying is if you believe women deserve a little more respect… use your platform to make a change.
Adrian
October 26, 2017 @ 4:22 pm
Exactly. It’s not about Jason Isbell. It’s about performers who say they care, actually sticking their neck out to pressure a change.
Seak05
October 26, 2017 @ 6:56 pm
Will say this, a lot of the mainstream men are taking women out on tour with them as openers.
Mike W.
October 26, 2017 @ 12:55 pm
Maybe it is time for many of these women to just abandon Country radio? It’s a dying format that becomes less and less relevant every year. I get that Country radio is the quickest way for no-talent hacks like Kealsea Ballerini to make a name for themselves, but the Miranda Lamberts/Carrie Underwoods of the world should just abandon radio before the stink associated with Country radio gets on them.
Caitlin
October 26, 2017 @ 1:40 pm
Women are making phenomenal country and Americana music right now–Caroline Spence, Lindi Ortega, Dori Freeman, Miranda Lambert, Margo Price, Ashley Monroe, Patty Griffin, Gretchen Peters, Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, etc–and yet every time I turn on mainstream country radio (granted, that’s rare but sometimes you’re in the car and want to listen to something), they are never played. I could be forgetting wrong and I don’t have statistics, but in the 1990s it felt like women were much more represented. On music television channels and on the radio, you’d hear Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Jo Dee Messina, and so on. I’m sure there were issues back then, too, but things feel much, much worse right now, worse than they’ve been in recent memory.
Trigger, thank you for your continued commitment to covering this issue. It matters. We should not shut up about it until there is real equality for women in country music. What’s happening is sexist, misogynistic, and wrong. It also hurts country music as a whole because some of the best music being made right now is not getting played. Do these women need radio? Perhaps not. Miranda is doing well, but radio could maybe help some of the women who are not as well known. I am thankful for alternative ways of getting music, like Spotify, Pandora, your website, and Last.fm where I have discovered many of the great country and Americana women who are out there.
Gary
October 26, 2017 @ 1:56 pm
You might add “Rebecca Jed” & the (Bucksnort Beauties) to your list of women making great country music. You can find her on YouTube, Reverbnation, cdbaby.com, & her own website.
sweet on stuart
October 27, 2017 @ 6:08 pm
I’ve always thought that Miranda’s likely safe landing spot is with the likes of Emmylou, Rosanne and Patti Griffin.
Avery said Miranda’s time is done. I grudgingly agree but am rather emboldened by that because that means the landing spot is getting closer. When she is finally allowed to totally be her own self I think she will be fine.
Corncaster
October 26, 2017 @ 2:09 pm
lots of name recognition in the past
Maybelle Carter, Rose Maddox, Kitty Wells, Jean Shepherd, Loretta Lynn, June Carter, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Tanya Tucker, Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris, Connie Smith, Barbara Mandrell, Linda Ronstadt, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, Alison Krauss, Suzy Bogguss, Rhonda Vincent, LeeAnn Womack, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Dixie Chicks, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde
seems to me the 90s were particularly good to women in mainstream country, but it seems things fell off the cliff in the 2000s
Kyle
October 26, 2017 @ 2:38 pm
The problem isnt a gender issue. Its the fact pop country blows and there isnt alot of pop country female artist so they regurgitate the same ones over and over again. I include miranda and carrie in that group. Personal opinion. But there are plenty of great female singers/songwriters (margo price/ erin anderson/ Sunny Sweeney …) the reason you dont hear about them isnt becase of there gender its because they play “real” country and that goes against the establishment. Hence no radio play.
Gary
October 26, 2017 @ 2:49 pm
You might also checkout “Rebecca Jed” & the (Bucksnort Beauties). You can find her on YouTube, Reverbnation, cdbaby.com, & her own website. She makes real country music, just came out with a new album.
Mike Honcho
October 26, 2017 @ 4:38 pm
The best thing about modern country music is the lack of women singers on the radio.
Honky
October 26, 2017 @ 5:51 pm
If there’s anything good about it, that would be it. The only thing worse than bastardized pop music, is bastardized pop music sung by women.
Of course, I’d rather hear all women, all the time, if it were Country, over bastardized pop music by men.
Ulysses McCaskill
October 26, 2017 @ 8:41 pm
Put more women on the radio, fine, but not if they’re singing shitty pop music like all the guys are. If you’re gonna play women, and I agree they should, play someone like Margo Price.
KGD
October 27, 2017 @ 6:17 am
Review Margo Price’s album and I’ll share it with about 100 friends.
And then I’ll share it when she comes to town.
And then I’ll share how great her show was.
That’s a country-ass album by a country-ass artist with an attitude. Boost her damn signal.
CountryKnight
October 27, 2017 @ 7:01 am
No thanks.
She lost me with “Pay Gap.” An abysmal mess of emotional falsehood written by a 14 year old girl.
Scott
October 27, 2017 @ 7:37 am
Country Knight sounds like something a 14 year old boy would name themselves.
CountryKnight
October 27, 2017 @ 9:14 am
Think up your own material. And there is no space in my name, Scott.
Interesting, that you didn’t attempt to defend the song but merely launched an ad hominem instead.
KGD
October 27, 2017 @ 1:25 pm
Agreed. Weakest song on the album by a wide margin. Not throwing the baby out with the bathwater though.
Trigger
October 27, 2017 @ 10:16 am
You can’t do that with Dori Freeman, Lee Ann Womack, Ashley McBryde, Ira Wolf, or the dozens of other women I’ve featured here recently?
Not sure what the point of even posting a review for Margo Price is if I’m going to be called a bias misogynist before I even say a peep.
KGD
October 27, 2017 @ 1:28 pm
I didn’t call you anything and the Womack review came after my comment. For my money releasing on the same day as the Troubadours was unfortunate timing for her.
Taylor Hall
October 27, 2017 @ 9:27 am
It seems like this problem at least partially stems from what seems like country radio getting strangled to death by Payola. Maybe if stations weren’t slaves to this assembly line schedule of singles promotions from the labels, then they might have the freedom to choose to play other artists, hopefully including more women.
Wayne
October 27, 2017 @ 12:05 pm
“Put more women on the radio, fine, but not if they’re singing shitty pop music like all the guys are.”
True that.
Although I must admit a like Cam’s Diane song.
Nonetheless, the constant writing of this “no women on radio” stuff is getting a bit long-in-the-tooth.
Also the continued “whining” from female artists isn’t the answer. I don’t know what the answer is because I don’t give a flip. I like what I like by who I like and everything isn’t equal. Deal with it.
Don’t like bro-crap, like traditional country, adore Don Williams, and Lee Ann Womack who is the Don Williams of female singers. Through in some Patty Loveless, a bit of Texas Strait, Marty and the Fabs when I want to be reminded how great band talent sounds, and some good ole Skynyrd, and my ears are happy.
Will sample some new stuff, usually not to my liking.
I pay zero attention to Britanny Spears wanna-a-bee supposedly country female singers whose talent and opportunity is usually based upon the shape of their legs and color of their hair. Just a regurgitation of sameness, Lambert included. Though Tin-Man is worthy.
Conclusion: I have written a bit, am a multi-instrumentalist, hobby only. The best things I have read are what I write. See ya’ down the road 🙂
Katie
October 27, 2017 @ 5:07 pm
I have a pro-Miranda bias. She was singing and writing about growing up and moving out when I was doing the same. Love her to death.
As a fan, I remember when Carrie and Taylor won everything while Miranda’s much better and more true to form country music was ignored. The same system that she benefited from during her less inspiring Four The Record and Platinum albums nearly kept her from becoming a star with the more impressive Kerosene and Crazy Ex Girlfriend albums. Revolution couldn’t be denied and finally did it for her.
My point is that I don’t think it’s new to country radio to stunt the growth of budding stars. Women generally don’t put out the garbage right now that the men do, but that’s (the garbage)what’s popular I guess.
I don’t blame Miranda for speaking out now that she is being aged out of the system, which indeed does seem to have a fair amount of sexism involved. A man can age well into his retirement, but a woman is replaced when she gets anywhere close to forty. It might also be argued that she’s being rejected for the divorce. Radio picked Blake and the Country
Awards picked Miranda.
As for not speaking out when she was so well received, she did it by action, making Pistol Annie’s records and pushing those who deserved it, man or woman.
CountryKnight
October 28, 2017 @ 12:50 pm
Um, Miranda won most of the awards, at least, compared to Carrie. She and Blake were a power couple that trampled everyone.
I don’t blame her for speaking out either but it would have more impactful to speak out when she was married to Blake. She participated in “Boys Round Here” for crying out loud. She had no problem playing along with Bro-Country and its followers when she was part of the system.
She is speaking out now because the system rejected her. My apologies if I don’t hoist her on a pedestal.
Bear
October 27, 2017 @ 5:46 pm
I never could get into her music but I LOVE her being vocal on this. But the bigger issue is that radio is owned by like four companies or something and so you can’t have localized demographic it has to be one swath of generalized format to please the most people to maintain an audience, they believe.
I also think that if mainstream country radio is unwilling to play people like STapleton and Sturgill and other acts that get a lost of respect they sure as shit are no going to play quality women. Women always seem to come second in these situations.
And I think another problem is the people in charge of radio don’t like the fact THEY did not discover so and so. So until some new gal or guy comes along that they can claim rights to discovering I don’t think it will change much. I know that isn’t quite how radio works buy radio isn’t radio when it is owned by Disney or Viacom and prerecorded in Miami or wherever and broadcast nationwide. We call that a podcast.
Bill Williams
October 29, 2017 @ 3:13 pm
The problem is that country rap is the current trend, and the women aren’t following along. They need to find a way to latch onto the current trends.