Searching for new women of country
SiriusXM’s channel The Highway rounds up some noteworthy records by women
A radio programmer who helped popularize the style of country music called bro-country hopes to do something similar for women.
Three times an hour today through Sunday, SiriusXM’s The Highway channel will introduce
Fresh Female Voices, little-known records by women.
“We’re pulling in a wide swath of female talent to gather up what the listeners will respond to,” says John Marks, SiriusXM’s senior director of music programming.
The women include majorlabel acts Leah Turner and Kelleigh Bannen, as well as singers who have achieved some industry renown, such as Pistol Annies member Angaleena Presley and Brandy Clark, who has written hits for Miranda Lambert and The Band Perry. Small-label or independent acts such as Sunny Sweeney, Risa Binder and Allison Veltz also will be played.
The Fresh Female Voices programming will add about 200 spins for women beyond what singers like Lambert and Carrie Underwood might usually get. Marks will monitor sales data, social-media activity and musicstreaming statistics for signs of potential breakout records.
Marks did something similar for Florida Georgia Line. His early push on Cruise helped break that record, which eventually became the most downloaded track in country music history. The Highway also played Cole Swindell and Chase Rice before either had record deals. Their success helped make Marks one of country radio’s most influential programmers.
Last week, no female act had a solo record in the top 30 of USA TODAY’s Country airplay chart. None ranks among the 10 mostplayed acts at country radio this year. Other than Lambert, Underwood and Taylor Swift, none has topped the format’s airplay chart since Reba McEntire’s Turn on
the Radio in 2010. Radio research consistently shows that adult women, the format’s core demographic, general- ly prefer records by male singers. “The trick is going to be how you get the females to like the females,” Marks says.
Clare Dunn says she noticed sales jumps and increased attendance when The Highway played her independently released single Get Out. Dunn’s new single, Cow
boy Side of You, will be part of Fresh Female Voices.
The Highway’s early adoption of duo Maddie & Tae’s Girl in a
Country Song, which pokes fun at the depiction of women in bro-country songs, helped it break into the top 40 of the USA TODAY country chart last week. The bro-country sound is testosterone-heavy music about good times fueled by free-flowing alcohol and willing women.
The duo’s Maddie Marlow would be thrilled to see more women on the charts.
“We grew up on ’90s country,” she says. “That was when it was even, when there were all these guys and all these girls. We would love to see it go back there, where we have everything.”