In January, Country Radio Broadcasters’ Executive Director RJ Curtis took part in a Change The Conversation panel to address the lack of female voices heard on country radio.
“We don’t want to make a perfunctory, check-the-box pass at this,” Curtis said during that meeting. “Doing so would be an insult to everyone in this room tonight. It has to be done thoughtfully, intelligently. We have to recruit informed industry leaders who also participate in sessions during CRS (Country Radio Seminar) to contribute, too, so that any discussion we have ends up being productive.”
On Thursday, May 23, Curtis hosted the inaugural CRS360 webinar, the first in a series that aims to deepen discussions around hot button topics pertaining to country radio, the first of those being the lack of female artists heard on country radio.
The CRS360 webinar was the first of a two-part look into the topic. SummitMedia VP/Programming and President/GM of the company’s Wichita cluster Beverlee Brannigan served as moderator. The session included Stone Door Media Lab’s Jeff Green, Cumulus Dir. NASH Programming and WKDF/Nashville PD John Shomby, and Vanderbilt University postdoctoral scholar Rachel Skaggs, Ph.D., to look at chart data, as well as the sociological impacts.
Green offered several data sets, tracking country radio chart data over the past 45 years (1974-2018). He summarized the findings from looking at a nearly half-century worth of country radio data with three key points, including:
- Male country artists have historically dominated country radio airplay, having 70% of all singles released to country radio, 74% of all Top 15 songs, and 78% of all No. 1 songs over the past 45 years.
- He notes the downtrend in the number of female artists on country radio that has dogged country radio from 2011-today is not a new phenomenon and that it happened previously in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
- A slower chart further compresses opportunities for female artists, who must compete against a larger roster of male artists, whether at country radio or in the streaming world.
In 2018, female solo artists earned just 5.4 percent of the No. 1 songs at country radio, a drastic fall considering the peaks in 1978 and 1998, when female solo artists earned 30.3 percent and 30 percent of the No. 1 songs on country radio, respectively. However, 1982 served as the lowest point, when female artists earned 3.7 percent of the No. 1 songs, followed by 2014, when they earned 4.6 percent of the No. 1 songs.
The data found that on average over the past 45 years (1974-2018), female artists have achieved 27 percent of the Top 15 singles on country radio. Notably, since 2007, when Arbitron (now Nielsen Audio)’s Portable People Meter (PPM) was introduced, the number of female artists notching songs in the Top 15 on country radio fell to an average 21 percent (2007-2018). Over the past five years, that number continued to drop, to a 16 percent average. That data includes songs from solo female artists, duos or groups with a female vocalist, and duets that included a female artist.
According to data tracking the percentage of Top 15 country radio singles by females from 1974-2018, the late ‘90s offered a peak in the number of female artists earning Top 15 singles, with female artists bringing in 38.9 percent of the format’s Top 15 singles in 1998. 1999 saw similar numbers, with 37.2%. Prior to 1998, the peak year for females earning Top 15 singles (according to the data set) was 1979, when female artists earned 34.9 percent of the format’s Top 15 singles.
2018 marked a new low in the number of female artists notching Top 15 singles, with 12.2 percent.
Shomby and Green also attempted to address the effects PPM have had on radio stations and artists, versus handwritten logs that are still often used.
“With PPM it’s about exposure rather than the listener,” Shomby said. “If you are in a grocery store and hear music over the radio, it picks that up, whereas a diary is what you recall listening to. I think that affects radio’s ratings.”
“When stations ratings depressed from 2007-2009, radio stations built a lot of pressure about the music and started focusing on hits,” Green said. “We can’t blame 100 percent of the blame on the people meter but as you saw the change in 2000s, that has had an effect. Female artists who were outnumbered to begin with were affected by PPM.”
Adding to this is the slowing of the radio charts that began in 1995, as it takes longer for a song to reach the top of the chart. The study found that in 1998-1999, the number of total No. 1 songs (by males, females or groups/duos) on the country radio chart fell by half in the country genre, from 40 No. 1 songs in 1998 to 18 No. 1 songs in 1999. That downward trend seems to have largely recovered, as since 2013, there have been at least 40 No. 1 songs each year, with the exception of 2018, which saw 37 No. 1 songs.
“It means fewer slots for new adds each week,” Green said. “And with so many consistently active male artists, it makes it harder for female talent.”
The study also noted that Top 15 singles from female artists is down nearly 50% from 2011-2018. Several top female artists such as Martina McBride and Reba have not had hits since at least 2016, and though there are many female newcomers to the genre, most have not yet scored a Top 15 hit.
Later in the session, Shomby also offered an overview of the factors radio station programmers look at in determining songs to add to their stations, which included research (questionnaires, consumption, and national research reports), chart position, artist popularity, overall sound of the music,
Is Country Streaming Better?
The study compared the female artist share of country streaming vs. country radio and found that female artists (including female solo artists, female groups, females in groups and females in duets) made 13% of the Top 200 streaming country artists, according to data from Nielsen Music on the week of 5/14/19. This is compared to the percentage of female artists reaching the Top 15 on country radio from Jan-May 20, 2019, which is 10%.
Meanwhile the percentage of female country artists with ATD streams among the Top 200 country artists was 15.5% (taken from data from 2008-May 14, 2019), while singles reaching the Top 15 on country radio by female artists was at 21.4% (taken from CA/Mediabase from 2007-2018).
Radio And Awards: Different Audiences, Different Winners
Skaggs’ data highlighted the differences between artists and songs who find success on country radio and those that are honored at various awards shows and critics panels, including the Grammy Awards, NSAI’s “Songs I Wish I’d Written” honors, and the Nashville Scene’s Country Music Critics Poll. The study showed that songs performed by women are 135 percent more likely to be nominated for the Grammy’s Country Song of the Year category, no more or less likely to be selected as a “Song I Wish I’d Written” honoree, and 76 percent less likely to appear on Billboard’s Year-End Hot Country Songs Chart.
Shomby noted that much of the disconnect between the songs and artists that succeed on radio and those that win Grammys and other industry honors is due to the different audiences they reach.
“The Grammys are selected by industry folks—publishers, writers. It’s really not a listener-oriented situation, which is where that disconnect may come in,” Shomby said.
Curtis noted, “Historically, there is a disconnect between Grammy [winners] and what is played on country radio. Fifteen or sixteen years ago, the album [Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’: Songs of the Louvin Brothers] won the Grammy for Country Album of the Year, but had little sales and no radio hits at all.”
Shomby offered another example of the disconnect from earlier this year, when Kacey Musgraves took home several Grammy honors, including the evening’s top prize, Album of the Year, for her project Golden Hour. However, she has never had a No. 1 single at country radio.
“She is polarizing in this business at this point, but I don’t think there is a problem with Kacey, it’s that the Grammys are a different awards show. They are picked by people who aren’t listening to radio but are involved in music.”
The conversation surrounding the lack of female voices on country radio will continue with Part 2 on June 11 at 1 p.m. CT.
Kassi Ashton, Travis Denning, Hardy To Play Faster Horses ‘Next From Nashville’ Stage
/by Lorie HollabaughFaster Horses Festival announced the lineup for its DISH Presents Next From Nashville Stage. The festival’s stage built for the most buzz-worthy new Nashville acts will host Kassi Ashton, Dillion Carmichael, Davisson Brothers, Travis Denning, Ross Ellis, Everette, Caylee Hammack, Hardy, Levi Hummon, Lauren Jenkins, Seaforth, Matt Stell, Rachel Wammack and Waterloo Revival on July 19-21 in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Previously announced acts for the three-day “Party Of The Summer” include headliners Toby Keith, Keith Urban and Zac Brown Band alongside performers Brothers Osborne, LANCO, Kip Moore, Maren Morris, Cassadee Pope, Michael Ray, Mitchell Tenpenny, Brett Young and more.
“Faster Horses is special for so many reasons,” said Brian O’Connell, President of Live Nation Country Touring. “We built this event from zero. The blank field was our canvas, all we had was our imagination and passion for our work. To be awarded with an ACM Award for those efforts, I could not be more proud of the incredible team that created and sustains this event. We are also so thankful to the ACM’s and it’s members. We could not be more fired up to head into our seventh year.”
TriScore Music Acquires RPM Music Group
/by Lorie HollabaughTriScore has also partnered with RPM principals Blake Chancey and Scott Siman, who will be working closely with them to make additional catalog and rights acquisitions. “It’s the perfect complement to our real estate business, and we look forward to building up the catalog,” said Broome.
“I am thrilled to announce our first acquisition,” said Broome. “We can’t think of better people to work with than Blake Chancey and Scott Siman, true leaders in the music industry.”
The deal brings into TriScore rights associated with major copyrights including songs by Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Cher, Amy Grant, Sam Hunt, Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley and Old Dominion. Songs include Grammy winner “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere,” and No. 1 singles “Say You Do,” “Break Up With Him,” “Make You Miss Me,” “Save It For a Rainy Day,” “I’m Moving On,” “Leave the Pieces,” and “Chainsaw,” among others.
Founded in 2007, RPM has been one of Nashville’s most successful indie publishing companies over the last decade. Founders Chancey and Siman are both former executives at Sony Music, and are both second generation music men. Chancey produced records with David Ball, the Dixie Chicks, Montgomery Gentry and Mary Chapin Carpenter, among others. He is a Grammy Award winner and has produced two Diamond-selling albums. His father Ron headed up A&R at several major labels, including ABC/Dot and MCA Music where he signed George Strait, and produced such acts as the Oak Ridge Boys and Conway Twitty.
Siman was a leading music attorney before moving to Sony and later taking over management for Tim McGraw. He is a former President and Chairman of the Academy of Country Music, and as a Country Music Association board member spearheaded the effort to establish the CMA Music Fest. He serves as President of EM.Co, a music marketing and management firm. His father Si produced the first major country music television show, The Ozark Jubilee, which took country music from its rural roots to America’s suburbs and cities, and he is credited with landing record deals for such Country Music Hall of Fame members Chet Atkins, Porter Wagoner and The Browns.
Rounder Records Signs The War And Treaty
/by Jessica NicholsonThe War and Treaty. Photo: Courtesy Rounder Records
Rounder Records has signed duo The War and Treaty, with their first project for the label set to release next year.
Rounder President John Strohm remarked, “We are beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to work with The War and Treaty, a group that utilizes incredible vocal talent and extraordinary songwriting chops to deliver an affirming message of unity and inclusiveness that is very welcome in this age. They encompass many of Rounder’s genre traditions while crafting a fresh, exciting sound that is entirely their own.”
The duo, comprised of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Blount-Trotter, formed in 2014. Their rootsy soul brand of music and gospel-steeped harmonies have made them local favorites in the Nashville music scene and beyond. Earlier this month, they earned two nominations at the Americana Music Association’s Honors & Awards, including Duo/Group of the Year and Emerging Act of the Year.
The War and Treaty just finished several tour dates opening for Al Green, and have support slots scheduled with Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell, as well as festival appearances for Dierks Bentley’s Seven Peaks Music Festival, among others. They were also the subject of a CBS Sunday Morning profile on May 26, which delved into Michael’s history as an Iraqi War veteran, Tanya’s early career as both an actor and musician, as well as their current success as The War and Treaty.
Billy Ray Cyrus Releases 16th Studio Album
/by Jessica NicholsonCyrus is of course riding high on Lil Nas X‘s smash hit “Old Town Road,” which features Cyrus’ vocals on a remixed version. “Old Town Road” has been certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA. Lil Nas X and Cyrus recently released the official video for the track.
The SnakeDoctor Circus Track Listing:
1. Guns, Gold & Guitars
2. The Reckoning
3. Barely Enough
4. Goddess of Democracy
5. I Think Your Time’s Come
6. The Blood of the Devil
7. Angel in my Pocket
8. Take It Easy Greazy
9. I’ve Been Around
Industry Ink: Music Health Alliance, Marushka Media, Whitehouse Records
/by Jessica NicholsonJohn Berry Presents Check To Music Health Alliance
Pictured (L-R): Tatum Hauck Allsep, Music Health Alliance CEO/Founder; John Berry;Shelia Shipley Biddy, COO/Certified Senior Advisor ®; and Robin Berry. Moments By Moser Photography
John Berry presented Music Health Alliance CEO/Founder Tatum Hauck Allsep and COO/Certified Senior Advisor Shelia Shipley Biddy with a check for $54,700, following his recent “We All Come Together” benefit in Nashville.
Marushka Media Celebrates Three Years
Emma White Launches Whitehouse Records
Emma White. Photo: Nada Taha
Nashville artist Emma White has launched Whitehouse Records, a co-venture with fellow Nashville entrepreneur Jennifer Coyle. The label’s first release is White’s single “Ten Year Town” (not to be confused with songwriter Hailey Whitters’ recent single by the same name).
Whitehouse Records aims to meet the need for greater female talent development in Nashville’s music industry. A majority woman-owned business, the company also offers publishing, touring and management services.
Members Of dcTalk, Petra, Whiteheart, Jars of Clay Form New Supergroup
/by Lorie HollabaughKevin Max (dcTalk), John Schlitt (Petra), Billy Smiley (Whiteheart) and Dan Haseltine (Jars of Clay) have united to collectively perform their biggest hits as the CCM All Star Review. The new group will debut with a headlining performance at the No Greater Love Festival in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on Aug. 11.
With sales exceeding 30 million records between them, the members have collectively generated more than 45 No. 1 songs and earned more than 15 Grammy and 60 Dove Award wins and nominations.
“With the advent of the popularity of rock coming full circle to festivals and theatres, the timing is right for a new show that really celebrates the history of Christian rock and pop,” says Smiley.
“A lot of the fans of Petra, dcTalk, WhiteHeart and Jars of Clay are bringing their kids to the shows,” adds Schlitt. “And many people had never seen some of these great musicians live and just had the music on vinyl, cassettes, or CD’s.”
The supergroup will be backed by the Union of Sinners and Saints, the Schlitt and Smiley-fronted group that recently released their own self-titled debut album.
“2020 might be the year we see an interest in the history of quality CCM music of the past by taking it to some of the festivals we all played at for years, and some other major events happening around the country,” says Max.
Randy Travis Releases First New Song In Six Years
/by Lorie HollabaughRandy Travis. Photo: Robert Tractenberg
Randy Travis is releasing his first new song in six years with “One In A Row.” The tune about missing someone was penned by Buddy Jewell and Thom McHugh, and was recorded years before Travis’ stroke but never widely released to audiences.
Travis fans can catch him up close and in person during CMA Music Fest, and he will have a booth in Fan Fair X at Music City Center (Booth 142) with his new book, Forever and Ever, Amen: A Memoir of Music, Faith, and Braving the Storms of Life, for purchase and daily photo opportunities. He also has an upcoming book tour planned for select markets.
Book Tour Dates:
May 25 – Plano, Texas – Barnes & Noble
June 6 – Nashville, Tenn. – Fan Fair X at CMA Fest: 11:00 a.m. – Meet and Greet at Randy Travis Booth
June 7 – Nashville, Tenn. – Fan Fair X at CMA Fest: 12:15 p.m. – Close Up Stage Interview; 1:15 p.m. – Meet and Greet at Jesus Calling Booth; 3:00 p.m. – Meet and Greet at Randy Travis Booth
June 8 – Nashville, Tenn. – 1:00 p.m. – Brentwood Barnes & Noble; 4:00 p.m. – Meet and Greet at Randy Travis Booth
June 9 – Nashville, Tenn. – Fan Fair X- 11:00 a.m. – Meet and Greet at Randy Travis Booth
July 14 – Fort Worth, Texas – Chief Records
Lady Antebellum Honored For Three Billion Streams On Pandora
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Pandora’s Head of Country Music Programming Jennifer Danielson, Big Machine Label Group President/CEO Scott Borchetta, Pandora’s Head of Country Music Beville Dunkerley, Lady A’s Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood, Pandora’s Artist Marketing and Industry Relations Manager Alina Thomas, Red Light Management’s Callie Cunningham, BMLG Records President Jimmy Harnen. Photo: Courtesy BMLG
Lady Antebellum are back with their first single for BMLG Records, titled “What If I Never Get Over You.” The trio’s Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood were recently honored by Pandora with a Billionaire Plaque to recognize Lady A for crossing the three billion streams mark on the Pandora platform.
BMLG President/CEO Scott Borchetta and BMLG Records President/BMLG EVP Jimmy Harnen joined Lady A to celebrate following the band’s historic first-week adds at country radio with “What If I Never Get Over You.”
Maren Morris, Apple Team To Release ‘Reimagined’ Hits Package
/by Lorie HollabaughMaren Morris and Apple Music are releasing a brand new acoustic EP, Maren Morris: Reimagined featuring reworked acoustic renditions of three of her biggest hits with producer Dave Cobb. The EP is coming exclusively to Apple Music.
As a companion to the EP, Apple Music will also be releasing a special short film that takes fans behind the scenes in the studio as Morris shares the meaning behind “GIRL” “The Bones,” and “The Middle” while giving each song a new, vocal-centric treatment.
“I think the mark of a good song is you can rearrange it up and it still is a very defining song,” said Morris about the new EP and working with Dave Cobb on making it. “Dave you know, his production is so rootsy and very soulful and Americana and he just understands that sound so intensely. I love the way it turned out.”
The Maren Morris: Reimagined EP and the companion film will be available exclusively on Apple Music beginning May 31.
Maren’s GIRL is still the top Day 1 and Week 1 Female Country Album worldwide on Apple Music and holds the record for the top pre-added country album globally by a female artist to date on Apple Music.
Country Radio Broadcasters Webinar Addresses Lack Of Females On Country Radio
/by Jessica NicholsonIn January, Country Radio Broadcasters’ Executive Director RJ Curtis took part in a Change The Conversation panel to address the lack of female voices heard on country radio.
“We don’t want to make a perfunctory, check-the-box pass at this,” Curtis said during that meeting. “Doing so would be an insult to everyone in this room tonight. It has to be done thoughtfully, intelligently. We have to recruit informed industry leaders who also participate in sessions during CRS (Country Radio Seminar) to contribute, too, so that any discussion we have ends up being productive.”
On Thursday, May 23, Curtis hosted the inaugural CRS360 webinar, the first in a series that aims to deepen discussions around hot button topics pertaining to country radio, the first of those being the lack of female artists heard on country radio.
The CRS360 webinar was the first of a two-part look into the topic. SummitMedia VP/Programming and President/GM of the company’s Wichita cluster Beverlee Brannigan served as moderator. The session included Stone Door Media Lab’s Jeff Green, Cumulus Dir. NASH Programming and WKDF/Nashville PD John Shomby, and Vanderbilt University postdoctoral scholar Rachel Skaggs, Ph.D., to look at chart data, as well as the sociological impacts.
Green offered several data sets, tracking country radio chart data over the past 45 years (1974-2018). He summarized the findings from looking at a nearly half-century worth of country radio data with three key points, including:
In 2018, female solo artists earned just 5.4 percent of the No. 1 songs at country radio, a drastic fall considering the peaks in 1978 and 1998, when female solo artists earned 30.3 percent and 30 percent of the No. 1 songs on country radio, respectively. However, 1982 served as the lowest point, when female artists earned 3.7 percent of the No. 1 songs, followed by 2014, when they earned 4.6 percent of the No. 1 songs.
The data found that on average over the past 45 years (1974-2018), female artists have achieved 27 percent of the Top 15 singles on country radio. Notably, since 2007, when Arbitron (now Nielsen Audio)’s Portable People Meter (PPM) was introduced, the number of female artists notching songs in the Top 15 on country radio fell to an average 21 percent (2007-2018). Over the past five years, that number continued to drop, to a 16 percent average. That data includes songs from solo female artists, duos or groups with a female vocalist, and duets that included a female artist.
According to data tracking the percentage of Top 15 country radio singles by females from 1974-2018, the late ‘90s offered a peak in the number of female artists earning Top 15 singles, with female artists bringing in 38.9 percent of the format’s Top 15 singles in 1998. 1999 saw similar numbers, with 37.2%. Prior to 1998, the peak year for females earning Top 15 singles (according to the data set) was 1979, when female artists earned 34.9 percent of the format’s Top 15 singles.
2018 marked a new low in the number of female artists notching Top 15 singles, with 12.2 percent.
Shomby and Green also attempted to address the effects PPM have had on radio stations and artists, versus handwritten logs that are still often used.
“With PPM it’s about exposure rather than the listener,” Shomby said. “If you are in a grocery store and hear music over the radio, it picks that up, whereas a diary is what you recall listening to. I think that affects radio’s ratings.”
“When stations ratings depressed from 2007-2009, radio stations built a lot of pressure about the music and started focusing on hits,” Green said. “We can’t blame 100 percent of the blame on the people meter but as you saw the change in 2000s, that has had an effect. Female artists who were outnumbered to begin with were affected by PPM.”
Adding to this is the slowing of the radio charts that began in 1995, as it takes longer for a song to reach the top of the chart. The study found that in 1998-1999, the number of total No. 1 songs (by males, females or groups/duos) on the country radio chart fell by half in the country genre, from 40 No. 1 songs in 1998 to 18 No. 1 songs in 1999. That downward trend seems to have largely recovered, as since 2013, there have been at least 40 No. 1 songs each year, with the exception of 2018, which saw 37 No. 1 songs.
“It means fewer slots for new adds each week,” Green said. “And with so many consistently active male artists, it makes it harder for female talent.”
The study also noted that Top 15 singles from female artists is down nearly 50% from 2011-2018. Several top female artists such as Martina McBride and Reba have not had hits since at least 2016, and though there are many female newcomers to the genre, most have not yet scored a Top 15 hit.
Later in the session, Shomby also offered an overview of the factors radio station programmers look at in determining songs to add to their stations, which included research (questionnaires, consumption, and national research reports), chart position, artist popularity, overall sound of the music,
Is Country Streaming Better?
The study compared the female artist share of country streaming vs. country radio and found that female artists (including female solo artists, female groups, females in groups and females in duets) made 13% of the Top 200 streaming country artists, according to data from Nielsen Music on the week of 5/14/19. This is compared to the percentage of female artists reaching the Top 15 on country radio from Jan-May 20, 2019, which is 10%.
Meanwhile the percentage of female country artists with ATD streams among the Top 200 country artists was 15.5% (taken from data from 2008-May 14, 2019), while singles reaching the Top 15 on country radio by female artists was at 21.4% (taken from CA/Mediabase from 2007-2018).
Radio And Awards: Different Audiences, Different Winners
Skaggs’ data highlighted the differences between artists and songs who find success on country radio and those that are honored at various awards shows and critics panels, including the Grammy Awards, NSAI’s “Songs I Wish I’d Written” honors, and the Nashville Scene’s Country Music Critics Poll. The study showed that songs performed by women are 135 percent more likely to be nominated for the Grammy’s Country Song of the Year category, no more or less likely to be selected as a “Song I Wish I’d Written” honoree, and 76 percent less likely to appear on Billboard’s Year-End Hot Country Songs Chart.
Shomby noted that much of the disconnect between the songs and artists that succeed on radio and those that win Grammys and other industry honors is due to the different audiences they reach.
“The Grammys are selected by industry folks—publishers, writers. It’s really not a listener-oriented situation, which is where that disconnect may come in,” Shomby said.
Curtis noted, “Historically, there is a disconnect between Grammy [winners] and what is played on country radio. Fifteen or sixteen years ago, the album [Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’: Songs of the Louvin Brothers] won the Grammy for Country Album of the Year, but had little sales and no radio hits at all.”
Shomby offered another example of the disconnect from earlier this year, when Kacey Musgraves took home several Grammy honors, including the evening’s top prize, Album of the Year, for her project Golden Hour. However, she has never had a No. 1 single at country radio.
“She is polarizing in this business at this point, but I don’t think there is a problem with Kacey, it’s that the Grammys are a different awards show. They are picked by people who aren’t listening to radio but are involved in music.”
The conversation surrounding the lack of female voices on country radio will continue with Part 2 on June 11 at 1 p.m. CT.