Country Radio Attacked Again

[TheBigA]

But country (music, format, audience) should not be immune to someone from "outside" saying "hey, is it weird that Jason Aldean gets massive radio and label support, while Jason Isbell has to get exposure by going on NPR?"

Exposure is exposure. There's no such thing as bad publicity. As I've been saying, country radio has an overabundance of talent and quality music. It's not just radio alone making these decisions. The labels, artists, and fans all weigh in and have input.

 

[Deus Ex Machiato]

Exposure is exposure. There's no such thing as bad publicity. As I've been saying, country radio has an overabundance of talent and quality music. It's not just radio alone making these decisions. The labels, artists, and fans all weigh in and have input.

It seems as if you're saying "and therefore everything is fine and there can be no criticism. Those people outside of the in-group don't understand and are obviously wrong. Nothing to see here. Move along."

What I'm saying is "sure, this particular article is off base, but there are valid criticisms of the industry and when they are brought up they should not be dismissed as mere 'attacks' on country."

Is self-reflection a bad thing? I don't think so.

 

[TheBigA]

It seems as if you're saying "and therefore everything is fine and there can be no criticism.

Did I say that? You didn't address any of the points I made. What do you do with an overabundance of quality talent and music? You can't play everything. All the artists have a team pushing their music. Not everyone wins.

I'll also say advocating a quota system in popular music based on gender is not a "valid criticism."

 

[boombox4]

As someone who worked in country radio for awhile, I do get defensive when someone unfairly attacks the format, the music, the listeners, etc. and it seems this article is such.

That said, there is a place for fair criticism. Country (the music, format, and even portions of the audience) are not immune from fair criticism. Such fair criticism is often merely pointing out that "country" (all encompassing) is very white, very male, and very conservative (socially, politically, etc) and that's valid. It is no secret - for example - that in the post 9/11 era the artists who were of a more liberal bent were given a stark lesson in why it's okay to wave the flag, but if you go against that and question authority you can expect to be told to "shut up and sing."

Are female artists under-represented in label output and radio playlists? Yes. Should there be a quota that says "thou shalt play a female artist every other record"? No. But country (music, format, audience) should not be immune to someone from "outside" saying "hey, is it weird that Jason Aldean gets massive radio and label support, while Jason Isbell has to get exposure by going on NPR?"

Fair enough points. But it looks like the marketplace is what ultimately determines the popularity of various songs, as well as artists. I suppose record company promotion of some over others also affects popularity, but only so much promotion can make a hit. Andrew WK got a lot of promotion in rock and alternative in the late 1990s, and flopped. If you listen to the tracks, on the CD, I think there was a reason for him flopping (just the most obvious example off the top of my head. Where is Andrew WK now?).

 

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

Here's this week's Country Countdown chart. It looks like the top 19 positions are male artists, then the first female artist appears at #20. I agree that there is a lot of country male talent right now.

Top 30 : Country Countdown USA

countrycountdownusa.com

 

[ILOVERADIO]

Hard to say since the study only looks at country radio. The fact is that the way music is scheduled today, it's far less likely that it's a rule of some sort. The reason it was done in the 70s was there were only two women having hits, so you wanted to spread them out rather than play them together. It wasn't a negative thing, but that's how it's being presented.

My view is you can come up with whatever facts you want to prove an agenda. This study just looks at the Billboard chart. Country radio stations only play about 25% currents. The rest is recurrent and gold. Looking at Mediabase, country radio plays a lot of women who are not current. But if you only look at the Top 30, you don't see that. As I said, selective research. It gets back to the number of women currently on record labels releasing singles. Based on what I see, there are more men on country record labels than women. Radio can't play more women if they aren't signed to record labels.

When I worked in small town country radio in the late 70s there were tons of amazing female artists with huge hits: Dolly, Tammy, Barbara Mandrell,Loretta Lynn, Linda Ronstadt, Crystal Gayle, Emmy Lou Harris, Jamie Fricke, etc. Seemed like about half the stars were female. I wonder what changed in the past decade. To me pop country gets boring when it’s nearly all male like today.

 

[ILOVERADIO]

Did I say that? You didn't address any of the points I made. What do you do with an overabundance of quality talent and music? You can't play everything. All the artists have a team pushing their music. Not everyone wins.

I'll also say advocating a quota system in popular music based on gender is not a "valid criticism."

Perhaps a Sunday evening future hits and new artists show on country radio might help.
The blandness of country radio today playing the same songs every 90 minutes is cringe inducing. I understand tight playlists result in higher ratings for that format. But once a week exposure of new talent including several female and male artists might introduce new performers. I loved hearing Hooty on the Grand Old Opera show recently. More women and Blacks in country radio might spread a station’s appeal.

 

[TheBigA]

I wonder what changed in the past decade. To me pop country gets boring when it’s nearly all male like today.

The demographics changed. Country was once an older male format. Now it's younger female. Women want to hear hunky men.

Perhaps a Sunday evening future hits and new artists show on country radio might help.

Country radio doesn't have a problem with new artists or new music. It is probably plays more new music than any other radio format. More than CHR.

But once a week exposure of new talent including several female and male artists might introduce new performers.

Once again, that's not a problem in country radio. Lots of new artists. Ashley Cooke, Bryan Martin, Jackson Dean, Nate Smith, Chase Matthew, Megan Moroney, Drew Baldridge are just a few people having their first hits now.

Breaking new artists is a bigger problem in rock and alternative.

 

[CTListener]

The demographics changed. Country was once an older male format. Now it's younger female. Women want to hear hunky men.

And I guess that since younger women are a more desirable advertising target than older men, we older men who still listen to country radio will continue to be frustrated. I'm fine with Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, Scotty McCreery and Luke Combs, but when the simpering boyfriend-country singers like Dan + Shay and Brett Young come on, I'm pushing the preset buttons. Nate Smith gets multiple weeks at No. 1 in airplay and lingers for weeks afterward, while Lainey Wilson gets one week at No. 1 following an insane push week, then plummets by nearly 2,000 spins after the push is over.

I know, I know. Men from Mars, women from Venus. It goes back long before Marconi sent that "S" across the Atlantic.

 

[TheBigA]

And I guess that since younger women are a more desirable advertising target than older men, we older men who still listen to country radio will continue to be frustrated.

It depends. Right now there are current songs by Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw in the Top 20. Garth Brooks & Ronnie Dunn are in the Top 30. George Strait just released a new song that will get some play. The Cody Johnson music is big with older traditionalists. So it's a very wide range of music, and that's why the format is doing so well.

 

[secondchoice]

When I worked country in the late 70's the reason we never played two female artists back to back was at times if you played two female singers back to back it could be 30 or more minutes before another female was played. It wasn't a anti female thing, the PD was trying to "stretch out" the few female artists the record companies signed.

 

[Delete My Account]

I often wonder why certain things never caught on, and one of those is the whole "guy country" format idea. It would appear to be something that would work, but never did. If AC was targeted at women, rock targeted guys - it always seemed country could split that way. But the various attempts, including ones to mix country with southern rock, which on paper made sense, never worked as a format. And now streaming's made it fairly pointless to try, but it did always puzzle me.

 

[vchimpanzee]

including ones to mix country with southern rock, which on paper made sense, never worked as a format.

I remember two of these. Thunder Country 96.9 in Charlotte had a very short life, and there was also WJXY-FM in Myrtle Beach.

I also read about other stations in an article about Thunder Country in Billboard magazine. I'll have to see if I can find that.

There was talk of WXRA Greensboro NC doing this in the early 90s and when I heard "Move It On Over" by George Thorogood I thought they have done it. Then I found out the speculation that they were going to be "Rockin'" was correct. It was actually rock.

 

[Kelly A]

Wow, the zombie thread walks the earth. It died in January and rose from the dead mid May in one jump. Someone, shoot it in the head before it bites someone.

 

[gr8oldies]

Perhaps a Sunday evening future hits and new artists show on country radio might help.
The blandness of country radio today playing the same songs every 90 minutes is cringe inducing. I understand tight playlists result in higher ratings for that format. But once a week exposure of new talent including several female and male artists might introduce new performers. I loved hearing Hooty on the Grand Old Opera show recently. More women and Blacks in country radio might spread a station’s appeal.

There is an organization for black artists working in the industry and a touring Black Opry Revue. HOME | Black Opry

 

[secondchoice]

Wow, the zombie thread walks the earth. It died in January and rose from the dead mid May in one jump. Someone, shoot it in the head before it bites someone.

If you don't like a thread don't look at it.

 

[James Otto Sweet Heart]

Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but does newer singer Mason Ramsey get any time at all on country radio? I only discovered him last July. To me, his material should be all over the place.

God bless you and Mason always!!!

Holly

 

[TheBigA]

Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but does newer singer Mason Ramsey get any time at all on country radio? I only discovered him last July. To me, his material should be all over the place.

From what I can see, he left his Nashville record label and is now with Atlantic. They are working his song Blue Over You to Top 40 radio, and 35 stations are playing it.

 

[James Otto Sweet Heart]

^^^ I haven't heard anything about him leaving Nashville. Actually, if anything, Mason still lives in Golconda, Illinois, but still does the travelling to Nashville whenever it has to be done. The good thing is that it is only a two-and-a-half-hour drive. I once heard him say not too long ago that a family member goes with him because they are who does the driving for him when they get there to Nashville. He said that Nashville has crazy drivers.

God bless you and Mason and his family always!!!

Holly

 

[davideduardo]

More women and Blacks in country radio might spread a station’s appeal.

every time I hear that sentiment, I start thinking “wouldn’t regional Mexican music have a greater appeal if a bunch of Anglo from New England and some Black people from DC started recording songs“

Music to a great extent is an expression of the culture of its fans. To try to force ethnic elements that are not part of the heritage of country onto it seem just as absurd.