Women in country music struggle to get their music played, heard By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.14.15 Word Count 966 Tae Dye (left) and Maddie Marlow, of the music group Maddie & Tae, perform at the CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, June 10, 2015. Only three songs with female singers are in the current Top 25 of Billboard s hot country songs chart with Little Big Town s Girl Crush, Cam s Burning House and Maddie & Tae s Fly. Photo: By Wade Payne/Invision/AP, File NASHVILLE, Tenn. Four years ago, Leslie Fram came to Nashville to direct strategy for CMT, a cable television channel devoted to country music. She quickly saw that women were facing problems in the country music industry. Before coming to Nashville, Fram had been a rock radio programmer, choosing which songs would make it on the air. Now, she immersed herself in Nashville s songwriter community. Fram was blown away when she heard singer Brandy Clark performing at the tiny Bluebird Cafe. Clark has been nominated for a Grammy Award and has written hit songs for country music stars Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves. Yet Clark was not being played on country radio stations. "That was an eye-opener for me," Fram said. "There were artists that were too country for country radio."
It's All About The Ratings Fram was frustrated by the state of country music. She heard fewer and fewer women on country radio, and more and more simplistic party songs being performed by men. Now Fram and others who agree with her are trying to take back the microphone. They are pushing for quality and equality in country music. Historically, country music radio has been dominated by male artists. The drive to get more women on the air gained momentum this spring when radio consultant Keith Hill said country stations should play fewer female artists if they want better ratings. Hill used the analogy of a salad to explain the artists that country music radio stations should play. He called male artists such as Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton the leafy greens of the salad, while women artists were the tomatoes. This comparison increased fears that female singer-songwriters were being intentionally kept off of commercial radio. Hill defends his argument by saying he is simply giving listeners what they want to hear. "You're not going to get equality until the behavior of the audience changes," Hill said recently by phone. Charting The Inequity In 1998, 38 percent of singles in the annual Top-100 country songs chart were sung by women. In 2014, only 18 percent of singles in the top 100 were performed by females. This week, only three songs with female voices are in the Top 25 of Billboard's Hot country songs chart: Little Big Town's "Girl Crush," Cam's "Burning House" and Maddie & Tae's "Fly." "Girl Crush" and Carrie Underwood's "Something In the Water" are the only women-led songs to hit No. 1 this year. In 2010, Miranda Lambert hit No. 1 on the Hot Country chart with her single The House That Built Me. Fram wondered if that Grammy-winning song would see the light of day today. What's A Music Industry To Do? Luke Bryan is a country music star who is the current winner of entertainer of the year at the two largest country music award shows, the CMA and ACM Awards. Bryan said the country music community needs to take a deeper look at why more women are not on the radio.
"The music industry can get real, real busy and fast-paced and you look up, and you realize, 'Man, there isn't a female artist per se in the Top 10 or even in the Top 20 right now,'" he said. Addressing the problem will require the country music industry to sit down and figure out how to get more women on the air, Bryan said. Those conversations are starting to happen. Fram of CMT has joined with Rounder Records Vice President Tracy Gershon and music writer Beverly Keel to create a collective of women in music called Change The Conversation. The group works to mentor, educate and support women in the country music industry. The idea behind Change the Conversation is not that you need to play every female artist that s out there, Fram explained. Rather, it is about the idea that the best song wins. Opportunity Knocking Last month Lambert played a charity show that featured her singing with country best songwriters male and female to raise funds for a new scholarship for women musicians and artists. For female artists who are waiting for their opportunity, the only thing they can do is focus on the music. Maddie & Tae, a young, rising country duo, took on the issue directly with their song, Girl In A Country Song. That tune parodies the way male artists depict women in country songs and music videos. Girl In A Country Song, became a gold record, selling at least 500,000 copies, and peaking at No. 3 on the country charts. Maddie & Tae, now on tour with Dierks Bentley, said they have had to prove to country music fans that they belong on stage with the men. "We are new to the scene and we are females, but I feel like we can live up to the expectations," 19-year-old Tae Dye said. "We can hang with the guys." Legendary Lack Of Diversity Ashley Monroe s new album debuted at No. 2 for country albums, behind country legend Alan Jackson. Still, she has not been able to get a top radio hit on her own, unless she's singing with male artist Blake Shelton, as she has done twice with "Lonely Tonight" and "Boys 'Round Here." "I make sure everything I sing I believe in... If it gets on radio, that's amazing. That's millions of people that are hearing it," Monroe said. "And if it doesn't, then I am just going to work extra hard to find other ways to get heard."
Country music veteran Vince Gill co-produced Monroe's album. He has seen trends come and go in country music for decades. The real problem, he said, is an overall lack of diversity in the music industry as record sales decline. Fewer artists now have a chance to get on the radio at all, Gill said.
Quiz 1 Which of these sentences from the section "What's A Music Industry To Do?" would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article? The group works to mentor, educate and support women in the country music industry. The idea behind Change the Conversation is not that you need to play every female artist that s out there, Fram explained. Addressing the problem will require the country music industry to sit down and figure out how to get more women on the air, Bryan said. Luke Bryan is a country music star who is the current winner of entertainer of the year at the two largest country music award shows, the CMA and ACM Awards. 2 What would be another good title for the section "Opportunity Knocking"? "Recording Gold" "Proving They Belong" "The Music's The Thing" "Raising Money For Music" 3 Read the paragraph from the section "It's All About The Ratings." Fram was frustrated by the state of country music. She heard fewer and fewer women on country radio, and more and more simplistic party songs being performed by men. Which of the following does this paragraph represent? a cause a problem an effect a solution 4 Why is the section "Charting The Inequity" important to the article? It provides evidence through data and examples. It explains the causes and effects of certain events. It discusses the pros and cons of an important issue. It indicates solutions through problem-solving strategies.
Answer Key 1 Which of these sentences from the section "What's A Music Industry To Do?" would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article? The group works to mentor, educate and support women in the country music industry. The idea behind Change the Conversation is not that you need to play every female artist that s out there, Fram explained. Addressing the problem will require the country music industry to sit down and figure out how to get more women on the air, Bryan said. Luke Bryan is a country music star who is the current winner of entertainer of the year at the two largest country music award shows, the CMA and ACM Awards. 2 What would be another good title for the section "Opportunity Knocking"? "Recording Gold" "Proving They Belong" "The Music's The Thing" "Raising Money For Music" 3 Read the paragraph from the section "It's All About The Ratings." Fram was frustrated by the state of country music. She heard fewer and fewer women on country radio, and more and more simplistic party songs being performed by men. Which of the following does this paragraph represent? a cause a problem an effect a solution 4 Why is the section "Charting The Inequity" important to the article? It provides evidence through data and examples. It explains the causes and effects of certain events. It discusses the pros and cons of an important issue. It indicates solutions through problem-solving strategies.