Are they really trying? Every year country radio people like to scratch their heads or declare it’s the year of the woman instead of backing those words up by playing more of the best female artists/songs to #1 and more to the top 20 (more than once) like they deserve. Lately they’ve gone from the years of regularly playing just 3 solo females to the year(s) of 2 (after Taylor left for pop) while shutting the rest out of the top 20 after just 1 single. We need at least 6 at the top and more in the top 20 at all times.

“In the R.J. Curtis piece, Lisa McKay, a Country program director in Raleigh, states that their sister Pop station has a rule about playing no more than three females in a row, while she works to force three females into an hour.”

So country radio has a terrible old sexist rule to NEVER play 2 female songs in a row, while pop radio has a rule to never play MORE THAN 3 in a row. HUGE difference. Pop radio is way better about playing more women to top 10-20 and #1. We recently saw 6 solo female songs in the pop (Top 40) radio top 10 and there’s always 0 or 1 in the country top 10. Country radio is way too unbalanced and I have to force myself to listen to radio not playing more country music women.

“Los Angeles Country program director Tonya Campos stated that people want success for female artists, “but only for the really good ones,”…”

In that case country radio should’ve kept Kellie Pickler at #1 starting with her first, second or so single like they did for all similarly and some less talented/proven men. Because she is one of the very best country music and radio artists, has 5 #8-15 radio hits, and has outperformed many men they’ve played to #1 in every possible way (vocals, songs, albums, sales, country radio listener callout polls, critical acclaim, popularity, bringing listeners to country radio from her great performances of country songs on TV shows with as many as 20-50 million viewers, and more). No other artist has multiple top 10-15 hits, over 1.5 million album sales, and great current radio material yet radio isn’t playing them. Obviously it’s because she’s female, country radio is sexist, keeps female spins very limited and doesn’t want more women at the top. I hope this changes soon.

The best/most proven country solo females with great current radio material are Carrie, Miranda, Kellie, and Kacey, yet radio plays only half of them, just a few groups with a woman, many solo males and all-male groups. Radio pushing out half of the four best/most proven country women while constantly playing weaker (mostly male) songs past all of their singles shows that they aren’t making a serious effort to play more country women. Ignoring/skipping the best women will not work for trying to play more women. And there are more newer women they should also be playing to top 20 more than once http://www.mjsbigblog.com/the-country-radio-climb-how-are-major-labels-serving-new-acts-male-female.htm

And of course country radio plays only the “really good” male artists with superior vocals and songs. 😉

“Quality should of course be the rule…”

Unless it’s a male with weaker auto-tuned vocals and songs and often lower album sales on country radio. 😉

“During my dissertation research, I sat in with a Country DJ who took a call from a female listener, complaining that Taylor Swift cannot sing. After politely handling the call, he turned to me and said, “And yet, we never get a call saying Toby Keith or George Strait can’t sing… We only pick on our female artists.””

A great song is a great song. There are more than 2 country solo female artists who are great singers with great songs yet radio isn’t playing them and they played many of Taylor’s singles to #1 or close so any “cannot sing” complaints didn’t stop them. And I’ve seen some country radio employees talk like only one female can sing. More bs excuses for not playing more deserving women to top 20 and #1. Toby and George don’t rely on auto-tune and are way better singers with better songs than some of the newer men radio plays. Radio never gets calls complaining about those singers or bro-country? I’ve seen many complaints about it on social media and from radio employees forced to play it.

I’ve also seen some country radio employees, all men including programmers, knock and bash great female artists who clearly deserve to be played to #1. Jimmy Carter (@askjimmycarter) called some and heard the same bs. I guess they think that justifies their sexist treatment even if it’s just in their own minds.

http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1696676/miranda-lambert-wants-more-women-in-country-music.jhtml

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-615/5892801/carrie-underwood-women-in-country-music-fairness-kellie-pickler

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-615/6113995/sara-evans-talks-frustrating-lack-of-women-on-country-radio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-K1qLtfZMs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPHuHkuAhJI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21fX9TddNb4