A new study was released Friday (April 26) investigating gender representation of the Top 150 songs on the Mediabase year-end radio reports from 2000-2018, as well as from Mediabase’s weekly airplay charts from 2002-2018. The study, titled Gender Representation On Country Format Radio: A Study of Published Reports from 2000-2018 and conducted by Jada E. Watson in consultation with WOMAN Nashville, analyzes spin data by how men, women and male-female artists are represented by total annual spins. A five-page brief of the report can be downloaded here, while the full report can be downloaded here.
The study looks at datasets taken from charts published by Mediabase; the first includes the Top 150 songs on the year-end country format charts for the Published Panel from 2000-2018 and data capturing song spins (both annual and monthly) for 2,850 records over the 19-year period. The second dataset uses weekly charting activity of Published Panel from 2002-2018 and captures the same data as the first, but also includes weekly ranking positions for the 302,387 records over the 17-year period.
Total annual spins of songs recorded by male artists in the Top 150 songs of the year-end reports increased from 5.8 million in 2000 to 10.3 million in 2018, while spins for women decreased from 2.8 million to 1.1 million over the same time period. The decrease among spins by female artists expanded from a 2:1 radio in 2002, to a 9.7:1 ratio in 2018.
According to the study, which looked at the Top 10 male and female artists by sum total of annual spins from 2000-2018, the top male artist, Kenny Chesney, earned more than 6 million spins, while the top female artist, Carrie Underwood, had just over 3 million spins.
“Unlike the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, where there was a general trend toward decline for all artists over the two-decade study period, these year-end radio reports show an increase in the number of songs by men against a decrease in songs by women. Men consistently have more than 100 of the top 150 songs on the year-end charts, with an average of 114 between 2003 to 2013, increasing to an average of 130 songs between 2014 to 2018,” Watson said in the report.
Male artists are programmed more than women in every year of this study period by an average of 58.6% when looking at all 2,850 songs on the year-end reports. According to the study, men’s worst showings on the year-end chart for the time period are significantly higher than women’s best showings, at each angle of analysis.
According to the findings for the year-end published panel analysis, female country artists, as well as male-female ensembles, were shut out of the Top 10 of the year-end reports in 2003, 2008 and for the last five years of the study period.
The second part of the study analyzed the weekly airplay charts over a time period from 2002-2018, which also show an underrepresentation of women in radio programming. According to the report, over the course of 17 years (883 weeks), male artists spent 749 weeks (85%, the equivalent of 14.4 years) in the No. 1 position, while female artists spent 98 weeks (11%, 1.8 years), and male-female ensembles spent 39 weeks (4%, 0.75 years).
The study found that for all songs on the weekly Country Airplay reports from 2002-2018, 75.5% of the songs were from solo male artists, or groups composed entirely of male performers. Songs recorded by solo female performers and groups composed entirely of female artists make up 19.6%, while songs recorded by mixed male-female ensembles made up 4.9% of the songs studied. Looking at the Top 100 songs of the weekly Country Airplay reports from 2012-2018, men (solo/all-male groups) make up 70.5% of the songs in the Top 100, while solo females and all-female groups make up 24.5%, with 5% coming from male-female ensembles. When looking at the Top 10 of the weekly Country Airplay reports from 2002-2018, 81.4% of songs are from men, while females make up 13.8% and male-female groups make up 4.9% of the total.
A weekly distribution of the Top 10 songs maps a 17-year period with a greater than 50% percentage point gap between men and women. With the exception of 2005, (when women maintained 21.7% of the Top 10 songs) female artists had 15% of the Top 10 songs between 2002 to 2004 and 2006 to 2012. According to the study, 2013 marks a down turning point for female artists, where they drop to 8.4% of the Top 10 songs in 2014, and maintain an 8.8% average over the last five years.
Female artists have their lowest point in 2014 with just 6.3%, where male-female groups have more Top 10 songs (7.9%). Male artists maintain a 17-year average of 82%, with highs of 90.2% in 2003 and 2016 and 92.1% in 2018. These results show a significant disparity between male and female artists in the Top 10 of the chart. In this context, women are not allotted enough space on radio playlists to move their songs up the chart and into the Top 10.
Over the course of the 19-year period of the year-end chart analysis, this study reveals that male artists are given more annual spins, with an increase by 42.9% over this period from 5.8 million total spins in 2000 to 10.3 million in 2018 (when looking at the Published Panel). Women have 2.8 million at the start of this period (just under half the total annual spins of male artists), but then decline to an annual average of 1.1 million over the majority of this study period (15 years). While they maintain 1.1 million spins annually, the drastic increase in spins for male artists means that women occupy a smaller percentage of the year-end charts in each of these 15 years.
Spins for male artists increase through and following all industry changes: ratings slumps, increase and decrease of commercial loads, and consolidation of stations. Women are disadvantaged in this culture and suffer through each of these moments of change in the industry, and are gradually eliminated from radio culture to a point of 11.3% of the overall year-end charts and 9.2% of the annual spins in 2018.
“When songs by male artists receive 9.7 times more spins than those by female artists (as in 2018), we have a significant cultural problem,” Watson says, noting this hasn’t always been the case. She cites a 1997 Billboard Magazine article from the late Chet Flippo, which outlines the slow rise of female artists throughout the genre’s history, through the ’90s. Watson points to the mid-’90s as a pivotal moment “in both the tone and number of female artists in country music,” Watson says.
The report says data taken from Hot Country Songs charts compiled in the 1990s (which at the time measured only country radio airplay) shows that between 1996 and 2000, female artists maintained an average of 30% of the overall chart, with a high of 34.1% in 1999. They also earned more No. 1 songs during the period, earning 40% of the chart-topping songs in 1996, and increasing to 52.4% in 1998 (a year female country artists earned more No. 1 songs than male country artists).
“In a world in which these popularity charts and statistics impact how labels sign, produce and promote artists, programming decisions play a vital role in the broader cultural space of the genre,” Watson says. “The results of this study point to significant gender imbalance in the genre, and renders visible the impact of the gender-based programming that has governed the industry for decades. Indeed, these discriminatory practices are not new to country music. They date to the early days of radio programming when female artists had to abide by rules regarding their public conduct, image, and sexuality and were not programmed back-to-back because of a lack of female hits. By the late 1990s, this practice of ‘spreading them out’ developed into a gender-based formula in which women were programmed at 13-15% of radio playlists. These issues do not just persist today–they are significantly worse now than in the late 1990s. They are systemic to the industry and so ingrained in the culture that those in positions of power do not see the sexism and discrimination in their actions.”
Recommendations:
The study laid out steps for several sectors of the country music industry in how to help alleviate the long-standing problem:
• Radio: spin more women, more frequently.
• Labels: sign and promote women with the same commitment, intensity and resources as male artists.
• Industry associations (CMA, ACM, CRS): set a standard for inclusion and representation throughout your mandate: update eligibility requirements for awards and honors to exclude ingrained bias and work with participating sponsors to develop diverse programming.
• Promoters and Presenters: create and book diverse and inclusive tours, festivals, and experiences.
• Management and Agencies: take the lead from Stacy L. Smith and her recommendations for the film industry: work with your artists to develop inclusion riders–demand diversity and inclusivity in the studio, on tour, and festivals.
• Male artists: play an active part in this discussion and with the inclusion rider. Demand that your female colleagues have equal opportunity on radio, tours, festivals, and more.
• Audiences and Advocates: hold the above businesses accountable for their choices and offerings.
“These solutions are not hard, but they do require significant change,” Watson summarizes in the report. “They require public commitments, action plans and benchmarks for accountability. The decisions driving the industry should reflect and represent its diverse and growing audience. The future of country music can be one of inclusion and opportunity for all.”
Metro Planning Officials Release “Music Row Vision Plan” Draft
/by Jessica NicholsonMetro planning officials have released a draft version of an 87-page “Music Row Vision Plan,” which aims to offer both preservation for the buildings and character that make the Music Row area of Nashville, as well as opportunities for furthering development in the area, reports the Nashville Business Journal.
The plan notes that 9.7 billion dollars in estimated annual value comes from the music industry located in Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro in Tennessee. An estimated 200 businesses operate in the area that identify the majority of their operations being music-related, with 1,839 people employed by music-related businesses on Music Row.
The draft offers a “Music Row Character Area Map,” which establishes a framework for the desired characteristics of land use, development pattern, etc. The plan outlines four character areas, including “Music Row Center” (which serves as a gateway to the Gulch, Midtown, and Downtown Nashville), “Music Row Core” (north of Grand Avenue, primarily along 18th and 19th avenue south, and extending west to include Warner Music, BMI and Best Western Plus), “Music Row Village” (Primarily between Horton and Grand Avenues) and “Music Row Neighborhood” (Primarily located between Horton and Wedgewood Avenues).
The plan notes that 12 different multi-family residential developments have been built in the Music Row area since 2010, with 3,274 residential units added to Music Row between 2010-2019.
There has been an 176% increase in property values on Music Row between 2010 and 2019, nearly two-and-a-half times that of Davidson County as a whole, and just trailing Downtown Nashville at 228% increase in property value. The plan notes that consequently, Berry Hill has emerged as a secondary music industry node in Nashville, due to the smaller-scale built environment being more conducive to the creative process, while property values are eight times less per acre.
Approximately 53 buildings were demolished on Music Row between 2008 and 2018, the plan notes. Nearly 70% of those demolitions took place north of Grand Avenue and west of Music Square East. According to National Trust, 43 music-related buildings were demolished within that 10-year period.
Among the plan’s recommendations for the area are to create a private business association to represent local interests, manage tourism in the area and promote affordability. The plan also recommends implementing a Transfer of Development Rights program to incentivize preservation and to designate Nashville’s Music Row area as a cultural industry district.
A final draft is slated to be released on June 3, before recommendations are to be presented at Metro Planning Commission’s June 13 meeting.
Jennifer Nettles To Sing National Anthem At Kentucky Derby
/by Lorie HollabaughJennifer Nettles. Photo: Churchill Downs Racetrack
Jennifer Nettles will sing the national anthem at the 145th Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on Saturday (May 4). Nettle’s performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” will be broadcast live on NBC and take place in the Kentucky Derby Winner’s Circle immediately prior to the historic race in front of approximately 160,000 fans attending the Derby.
Nettles will also be a guest of the world-famous Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala.
“Jennifer Nettles is a country music and vocal powerhouse,” said Kevin Flanery, President of Churchill Downs Racetrack. “We are excited and honored for her to perform our national anthem for the millions of viewers and fans around the world who tune in on Derby day.”
Nettles is the eleventh artist to perform the national anthem since Churchill Downs began the tradition in 2009. Notable artists who have performed the national anthem at the Kentucky Derby include Pentatonix (2018), Harry Connick, Jr. (2017), Lady Antebellum (2016), Josh Groban (2015), Jo Dee Messina (2014), Martina McBride (2013), Mary J. Blige (2012), Jordin Sparks (2011), Rascal Flatts (2010) and Lee Ann Rimes (2009).
Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour Adds Luke Combs, Brothers Osborne, Alison Krauss
/by Lorie HollabaughLuke Combs, Brothers Osborne, Alison Krauss and more will join the lineup for the second leg of Willie Nelson‘s Outlaw Music Festival Tour 2019. The additional tour dates kick off in Gilford, New Hampshire, on Sept. 6 and wrap Sept. 22 in Cincinnati, with additional dates and cities to be added.
The lineup includes Willie Nelson & Family, Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters, Luke Combs, Bonnie Raitt, The Avett Brothers, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Alison Krauss, Gov’t Mule, Brothers Osborne, and Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real with more to be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for the general public go on sale Friday, May 3, and VIP packages will be available. Citi is the official pre-sale credit card of the Outlaw Music Festival Tour, and Citi cardmembers will have access to purchase pre-sale tickets beginning April 30th until May 2nd through Citi EntertainmentSM.
“Family. That’s what this touring group of artists, fans, and friends are when we come together for our annual Outlaw Music Festival Tour. We are thrilled to announce the second leg with Willie and this extraordinary group of artists” says Keith Wortman, CEO of Blackbird Presents.
Last year, the Outlaw Tour hosted more than 200,000 fans in amphitheaters and arenas all over the country.
September 6
GILFORD, NH – BANK OF NEW HAMPSHIRE PAVILION
Willie Nelson & Family, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, Brothers Osborne, Artists TBA
September 11
QUEENS, NY – FOREST HILLS STADIUM
Willie Nelson & Family, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Alison Krauss, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real
September 13
PHILADELPHIA, PA – THE MANN CENTER
Willie Nelson & Family, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, Gov’t Mule, Artists TBA
September 14
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – VETERANS UNITED HOME LOANS AMPHITHEATER
Willie Nelson & Family, Bonnie Raitt, The Avett Brothers, Alison Krauss, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, Artists TBA
September 15
RALEIGH, NC – COASTAL CREDIT UNION MUSIC PARK AT WALNUT CREEK
Willie Nelson & Family, Bonnie Raitt, Alison Krauss, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real, Artists TBA
September 20
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – RUOFF HOME MORTGAGE MUSIC CENTER
Willie Nelson & Family, Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters, Alison Krauss, Brothers Osborne, Artists TBA
September 22
CINCINNATI, OH – RIVERBEND MUSIC CENTER
Willie Nelson & Family, Luke Combs, Bonnie Raitt, Brothers Osborne, Artists TBA
Gavin DeGraw To Launch Summer Tour In August
/by Jessica NicholsonGavin DeGraw. Photo: Alberto Vasari
Gavin DeGraw will launch his 2019 summer tour on Aug. 1 in York, Pennsylvania. The trek will run through Sept. 2 in Syracuse, New York. Prior to the start of the tour, DeGraw will be returning to the CMA Fest Riverfront stage on June 7th for the second year in Nashville. DeGraw recently toured across the US on the RAW TOUR, where he presented his songs in their truest live form, performing his entire catalogue as a trio for the first time.
The full list of dates:
Aug. 1: York, PA – Appell Center for the Performing Arts
Aug. 2: Solomons, MD – Calvert Marine Museum’s PNC Waterside Pavilion
Aug. 3: Selbyville, DE – The Freeman Stage
Aug. 4: Morristown, NJ – Mayo Performing Arts Center
Aug. 6: Huntington, NY – The Paramount
Aug. 8: Port Chester, NY – Capitol Theatre
Aug. 9: Lowell, MA – Lowell Summer Music Series – Boarding House Park
Aug. 10: Webster, MA – Indian Ranch
Aug. 14: Durham, NC – Carolina Theatre
Aug. 15: Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
Aug. 16: Biloxi, MS – IP Casino Resort and Hotel
Aug. 17: Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live
Aug. 20: Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
Aug. 22: Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company
Aug. 24: Pittsburgh, PA – Rock, Reggae and Relief
Aug. 31: Freeport, ME – Discovery Park – L.L. Bean Summer in the Park
Sept. 2: Syracuse, NY – New York State Fair
Tunecore Artists Hit Record Revenue Mark
/by Lorie HollabaughTuneCore artists earned $83 million in the first quarter of 2019, the company just announced. The total marks a 21% increase over the first quarter of 2018, and brings total distribution revenue to $1.5 billion, all of which was paid to TuneCore artists. Distribution income for artists reached $308 million in 2018, marking a 28% year-over-year increase.
Publishing administration royalties collected for TuneCore artists also grew 42% in 2018 as well as YouTube Monetization, which delivered significant new income for TuneCore artists, growing 48% over 2017.
The platform enables artists to distribute their music to over 150 digital stores and streaming services worldwide including iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Deezer, and Google Play and that reach helped make TuneCore independent artists a major factor influencing the growth of genres, markets and geographies.
Total streams and downloads of music by TuneCore’s 250,000 worldwide artists hit 199.3 billion in the past year, an 83% increase over 2017.
In 2018, the fastest-growing genres worldwide were:
In 2018, streaming growth varied worldwide:
Industry Ink: Chris Young, Willie Jones, Ty Herndon Rising Stars Grant, Jon Reddick
/by Jessica NicholsonChris Young Adds USAA As Tour Sponsor
Country music star Chris Young, left, and NFL legend Joe Thomas, right, pose at USAA’s NFL Draft Salute to Service event on April 25, 2019 with Michael Dones and Joe Zettlemoyer at The Steps at WME in Nashville, Tennessee. USAA is an Official Sponsor of Chris Young’s Raised On Country Tour 2019 and Official NFL Salute to Service Partner. (Wade Payne/Invision for USAA/AP Images)
Chris Young has announced USAA as an Official Sponsor of the “Raised On Country Tour 2019.” USAA, a leading provider of insurance, banking and other financial services to members of the U.S. military and their families, will team with Young to create memorable experiences for military, veterans and their families throughout the coast-to-coast headlining tour.
With the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville, USAA, Official NFL Salute to Service Partner, kicked-off celebrations by hosting a special NFL Draft USAA Salute to Service event for invited military members stationed at Fort Campbell. The event, which took place earlier today at The Steps at WME, featured an acoustic performance by Young and a Q&A session featuring NFL Legend Joe Thomas. Following the on-stage portions of the event, both Young and Thomas met with military members, signing autographs and posing for pictures.
Chris Young’s Raised On Country Tour 2019 kicks off May 16 in Alpharetta, Georgia with over 25 shows through September.
Willie Jones Releases New Single “Down For It”
Black River Entertainment’s Willie Jones has released his new single “Down For It,” via 4 Sound/Empire.
Jones says, “’Down For It’ was created earlier this year between writing sessions in Nashville and Los Angeles. You can hear the inspirations from both cities. Melodically, the song brought back memories of growing up in the ’90s and I saw images of shows like ‘Reading Rainbow’ in my head. When it was time to make the video, I thought paying homage to that show would be something cool and different. For those who remember, it should bring a smile to their face.”
In support of the new music, Willie will be touring all year with key performances during Nashville’s NFL’s Draft Week and CMT Fest.
Ty Herndon’s 2019 Rising Stars Grants Now Accepting Applications
Ty Herndon
GLAAD will award 2019 Rising Stars Grants of $2,500 to young people (ages 18-30) for their commitment to enhancing LGBTQ inclusion and representation in music. The Ty Herndon Rising Stars Grant for music is eligible to LGBTQ young people who are working to accelerate acceptance in the music industry.
In addition to the $2,500 grant, Rising Stars Grant recipient will attend GLAAD’s Concert for Love & Acceptance in Nashville, including airfare and accommodations for the recipient and a guest. Applications are now open for submission, and will close May 19, 2019 at midnight PST. All applicants and recipients will be notified via email by May 24, 2019.
Gotee Records Signs Jon Reddick
Jon Reddick
Gotee Records has signed Jon Reddick, with the release of his single “You Keep Hope Alive,” penned with Anthony Skinner and Jess Cates, and produced by Nathan Nockels.
Singer-Songwriter Erin Enderlin Releases New EP, ‘Chapter One: Tonight I Don’t Give A Damn’
/by LB CantrellFresh off the SiriusXM Outlaw Country presents Jamey Johnson Tour, country singer-songwriter Erin Enderlin released today (April 26) her EP Chapter One: Tonight I Don’t Give a Damn. The three-song EP features the tunes “Broken,” “Till It’s Gone” and “Tonight I Don’t Give A Damn.”
“For me, it was interesting to think about how her situation was going to affect the rest of her life,” says Enderlin, who will quickly follow the EP with Chapter Two this June, as well as both Chapter Three and Chapter Four before the end of the year. The project is a collaboration between Enderlin’s Black Crow Productions and label partner Blaster Records, with management by music industry veteran Marty Winsch.
Chapter One: Tonight I Don’t Give a Damn is available to stream and purchase here.
On The Row: Ingrid Andress Discusses Her Road To Nashville, And The Power Of Being “Lady Like”
/by Jessica NicholsonIngrid Andress with MusicRow Magazine owner/publisher Sherod Robertson.
With her debut offering “Lady Like,” Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville artist Ingrid Andress presented herself as a strong individualist. The Colorado native’s “Lady Like” focuses on flouting gender stereotypes, which she first experienced when she entered public high school, after having spent her middle school years being homeschooled alongside her siblings.
“It was really shocking to me how many unspoken rules there were about ‘If you’re a girl you do this, and if you’re a guy you do this.’ I’m from a large family, and I grew up doing whatever I wanted and expressing what I wanted,” she tells MusicRow. “I played street hockey with my neighbors and I played with Barbies, too. This song was written about that moment when I realized that you don’t have to apologize for what you do and how you do it. You’re allowed to just be who you are. Just because everyone else feels like they need to be a certain way, that doesn’t mean you have to, and I believe that for both genders.”
During a recent visit with MusicRow Magazine, she offered early listens to more music, which reveal Andress as a keen perceiver of both today’s culture and of her own perspectives. She penned both “Lady Like” and her latest, “More Hearts Than Mine,” with Sam Ellis and Derrick Southerland.
The lush pop ballad “More Hearts Than Mine” takes pride in her family, detailing their big hearts and quirky, caring ways as she asks a lover to understand how a romantic breakup would affect more than just the two of them.
“I’m from a family of seven people and we are all very close. It’s a very sacred part of my life. When you start dating someone and it starts to get serious, you have to introduce them to your family and that thought never occurred to me for some reason. I just thought, ‘My family will be over here and whomever I meet will be over here and they are never going to meet.’ Then it was coming up on Thanksgiving or something, I processed that situation by writing this song.”
Ingrid Andress with MusicRow Magazine staffers.
She also played the yet-unreleased track “Both.” “I saw how relationships are starting to become extremely casual and I think a lot of people don’t want to admit they are unhappy with it. I think most people actually do want to be in a good relationship, but these days it’s uncool to be serious with someone. I wrote this song to remind people that you are allowed to stand up for what you want in a relationship and that’s everybody’s right.”
Andress, who grew up playing piano, moved to Nashville about five years ago and has been writing for Universal and Arthouse, Kara DioGuardi’s publishing company. She met DioGuardi through a pop songwriting class DioGuardi led at Berklee College of Music, and through that connection got the opportunity to write with Frank Rogers in Nashville.
“Nashville is the songwriting capital of the world so I moved here. I remember I got here in September. [Rogers] was like, ‘I’d love to write with you, but I’m booked until February.’ I had no idea that was how it worked. So I waited tables until we could write together. That day he said I need a publishing deal. I quit my job waiting tables the next day,” said Andress, who spent time waiting tables, pre-record deal, with Devin Dawson, who is now her label-mate at Warner Music Nashville.
Along the way, Andress earned writing credits on songs including Charli XCX’s “Boys” and has written with artists including Alicia Keys, Sam Hunt, and Fletcher.
“I learned how to write songs the Nashville way, which taught me so much. I’ve always loved the storytelling aspect of country. So I learned how to do that here and I took that with me to pop sessions. I would be like, ‘We need a concept before we start,’ and people are like, ‘Oh, no, just riff on the mic.’ And I’m like, ‘No, concept!’” she said, laughing.
Andress also discussed having her co-writers often produce the songs they worked on. “I wanted to do that instead of just picking one producer to do a whole album. I think there is something sacred about what happens in the room when you write a song. Capturing that is more important to me than having it be this conducive sound by one guy that wasn’t there when you wrote it.
“There’s a lot of untapped talent on Music Row that I feel needs to be showcased, so why not start with me and bring up my friends? I’m not taking away from those big producers because they are there for a reason but my personal style is to keep it within the posse.”
She says she’s most excited about being able to tell her own stories through her music.
“After being a songwriter for other people for so long, sometimes you get to write your own story but not often. So being an artist, I love telling stories that are my own.”
Chris Shiflett Releases First Track From New Solo Effort
/by Lorie HollabaughFoo Fighters member Chris Shiflett is premiering a new song, “Liar’s Word,” today. The track comes from Shiflett’s new solo album, Hard Lessons, which is set for release June 14 on East Beach Records & Tapes/Thirty Tigers.
The album is available now for pre-order, and each digital pre-order comes with an immediate download of the previously released tracks, “Welcome To Your First Heartache” and “This Ol’ World.” Hard Lessons was recorded at Nashville’s RCA Studio A and produced by Dave Cobb. The album features 10 new songs including a duet with Elizabeth Cook on “The One You Go Home To” and special guest guitarist Laur “Little Joe” Joamets on “This Ol’ World.”
“I remember one night between Foo Fighters gigs last year I went out for dinner with Dave Cobb to chit chat about making this record,” recalls Shiflett. “He said he had a vision of me playing through an old Marshall JCM-800. So, when it came time to record, we found one on Craigslist, cranked it up and it was perfect. I think this record hits a little closer to mixing everywhere I’ve been musically into one big blender and comes out something a little different. Since it was my second time working with Cobb and Co. out there at RCA Studio A, I kind of knew what to expect as far as his process, so I intentionally didn’t overthink or over-demo the songs because I didn’t want to get too stuck on any ideas I brought with me. I couldn’t be more excited about the results.”
Hard Lessons is Shiflett’s fourth solo album and the second in collaboration with Cobb who produced 2017’s widely praised West Coast Town.
Spun Out: New Study Examines Drastic Decline In Female Artists On Country Radio
/by Jessica NicholsonA new study was released Friday (April 26) investigating gender representation of the Top 150 songs on the Mediabase year-end radio reports from 2000-2018, as well as from Mediabase’s weekly airplay charts from 2002-2018. The study, titled Gender Representation On Country Format Radio: A Study of Published Reports from 2000-2018 and conducted by Jada E. Watson in consultation with WOMAN Nashville, analyzes spin data by how men, women and male-female artists are represented by total annual spins. A five-page brief of the report can be downloaded here, while the full report can be downloaded here.
The study looks at datasets taken from charts published by Mediabase; the first includes the Top 150 songs on the year-end country format charts for the Published Panel from 2000-2018 and data capturing song spins (both annual and monthly) for 2,850 records over the 19-year period. The second dataset uses weekly charting activity of Published Panel from 2002-2018 and captures the same data as the first, but also includes weekly ranking positions for the 302,387 records over the 17-year period.
Total annual spins of songs recorded by male artists in the Top 150 songs of the year-end reports increased from 5.8 million in 2000 to 10.3 million in 2018, while spins for women decreased from 2.8 million to 1.1 million over the same time period. The decrease among spins by female artists expanded from a 2:1 radio in 2002, to a 9.7:1 ratio in 2018.
According to the study, which looked at the Top 10 male and female artists by sum total of annual spins from 2000-2018, the top male artist, Kenny Chesney, earned more than 6 million spins, while the top female artist, Carrie Underwood, had just over 3 million spins.
“Unlike the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, where there was a general trend toward decline for all artists over the two-decade study period, these year-end radio reports show an increase in the number of songs by men against a decrease in songs by women. Men consistently have more than 100 of the top 150 songs on the year-end charts, with an average of 114 between 2003 to 2013, increasing to an average of 130 songs between 2014 to 2018,” Watson said in the report.
Male artists are programmed more than women in every year of this study period by an average of 58.6% when looking at all 2,850 songs on the year-end reports. According to the study, men’s worst showings on the year-end chart for the time period are significantly higher than women’s best showings, at each angle of analysis.
According to the findings for the year-end published panel analysis, female country artists, as well as male-female ensembles, were shut out of the Top 10 of the year-end reports in 2003, 2008 and for the last five years of the study period.
The second part of the study analyzed the weekly airplay charts over a time period from 2002-2018, which also show an underrepresentation of women in radio programming. According to the report, over the course of 17 years (883 weeks), male artists spent 749 weeks (85%, the equivalent of 14.4 years) in the No. 1 position, while female artists spent 98 weeks (11%, 1.8 years), and male-female ensembles spent 39 weeks (4%, 0.75 years).
The study found that for all songs on the weekly Country Airplay reports from 2002-2018, 75.5% of the songs were from solo male artists, or groups composed entirely of male performers. Songs recorded by solo female performers and groups composed entirely of female artists make up 19.6%, while songs recorded by mixed male-female ensembles made up 4.9% of the songs studied. Looking at the Top 100 songs of the weekly Country Airplay reports from 2012-2018, men (solo/all-male groups) make up 70.5% of the songs in the Top 100, while solo females and all-female groups make up 24.5%, with 5% coming from male-female ensembles. When looking at the Top 10 of the weekly Country Airplay reports from 2002-2018, 81.4% of songs are from men, while females make up 13.8% and male-female groups make up 4.9% of the total.
A weekly distribution of the Top 10 songs maps a 17-year period with a greater than 50% percentage point gap between men and women. With the exception of 2005, (when women maintained 21.7% of the Top 10 songs) female artists had 15% of the Top 10 songs between 2002 to 2004 and 2006 to 2012. According to the study, 2013 marks a down turning point for female artists, where they drop to 8.4% of the Top 10 songs in 2014, and maintain an 8.8% average over the last five years.
Female artists have their lowest point in 2014 with just 6.3%, where male-female groups have more Top 10 songs (7.9%). Male artists maintain a 17-year average of 82%, with highs of 90.2% in 2003 and 2016 and 92.1% in 2018. These results show a significant disparity between male and female artists in the Top 10 of the chart. In this context, women are not allotted enough space on radio playlists to move their songs up the chart and into the Top 10.
Over the course of the 19-year period of the year-end chart analysis, this study reveals that male artists are given more annual spins, with an increase by 42.9% over this period from 5.8 million total spins in 2000 to 10.3 million in 2018 (when looking at the Published Panel). Women have 2.8 million at the start of this period (just under half the total annual spins of male artists), but then decline to an annual average of 1.1 million over the majority of this study period (15 years). While they maintain 1.1 million spins annually, the drastic increase in spins for male artists means that women occupy a smaller percentage of the year-end charts in each of these 15 years.
Spins for male artists increase through and following all industry changes: ratings slumps, increase and decrease of commercial loads, and consolidation of stations. Women are disadvantaged in this culture and suffer through each of these moments of change in the industry, and are gradually eliminated from radio culture to a point of 11.3% of the overall year-end charts and 9.2% of the annual spins in 2018.
“When songs by male artists receive 9.7 times more spins than those by female artists (as in 2018), we have a significant cultural problem,” Watson says, noting this hasn’t always been the case. She cites a 1997 Billboard Magazine article from the late Chet Flippo, which outlines the slow rise of female artists throughout the genre’s history, through the ’90s. Watson points to the mid-’90s as a pivotal moment “in both the tone and number of female artists in country music,” Watson says.
The report says data taken from Hot Country Songs charts compiled in the 1990s (which at the time measured only country radio airplay) shows that between 1996 and 2000, female artists maintained an average of 30% of the overall chart, with a high of 34.1% in 1999. They also earned more No. 1 songs during the period, earning 40% of the chart-topping songs in 1996, and increasing to 52.4% in 1998 (a year female country artists earned more No. 1 songs than male country artists).
“In a world in which these popularity charts and statistics impact how labels sign, produce and promote artists, programming decisions play a vital role in the broader cultural space of the genre,” Watson says. “The results of this study point to significant gender imbalance in the genre, and renders visible the impact of the gender-based programming that has governed the industry for decades. Indeed, these discriminatory practices are not new to country music. They date to the early days of radio programming when female artists had to abide by rules regarding their public conduct, image, and sexuality and were not programmed back-to-back because of a lack of female hits. By the late 1990s, this practice of ‘spreading them out’ developed into a gender-based formula in which women were programmed at 13-15% of radio playlists. These issues do not just persist today–they are significantly worse now than in the late 1990s. They are systemic to the industry and so ingrained in the culture that those in positions of power do not see the sexism and discrimination in their actions.”
Recommendations:
The study laid out steps for several sectors of the country music industry in how to help alleviate the long-standing problem:
• Radio: spin more women, more frequently.
• Labels: sign and promote women with the same commitment, intensity and resources as male artists.
• Industry associations (CMA, ACM, CRS): set a standard for inclusion and representation throughout your mandate: update eligibility requirements for awards and honors to exclude ingrained bias and work with participating sponsors to develop diverse programming.
• Promoters and Presenters: create and book diverse and inclusive tours, festivals, and experiences.
• Management and Agencies: take the lead from Stacy L. Smith and her recommendations for the film industry: work with your artists to develop inclusion riders–demand diversity and inclusivity in the studio, on tour, and festivals.
• Male artists: play an active part in this discussion and with the inclusion rider. Demand that your female colleagues have equal opportunity on radio, tours, festivals, and more.
• Audiences and Advocates: hold the above businesses accountable for their choices and offerings.
“These solutions are not hard, but they do require significant change,” Watson summarizes in the report. “They require public commitments, action plans and benchmarks for accountability. The decisions driving the industry should reflect and represent its diverse and growing audience. The future of country music can be one of inclusion and opportunity for all.”