Move Over Bro-Country, The “Bra-Country” Revolution Has Begun
…well at least they’ve got a catchy name. And that’s a start.
In hopes of aligning themselves as the antithesis to the whole “bro-country” phenomenon gripping popular country music with its laundry list, truck and beer, mud-splashed and moonshine-soaked stereotyping, a couple of female artists have decided to adopt the new “bra-country” term to help separate the women from the bros.
The term appears to have originated from Canadian country star and co-host of NASH-FM’s American’s Morning Show Terri Clark. On January 10th, Terri took to her social networks to declare, “I’m starting a movement called ‘Bra Country’….to compete with all of this ‘Bro Country’….c’mon girls !!!,” The proverbial “I’m a woman, hear me roar” moment resonated with many, and bra-country was off and running.
Then bra-country found a champion in crossover star Sheryl Crow, who’s been publicly criticizing the lack of female representation on country radio, causing quite a stir on March 28th when she took to Twitter to vent, “Would someone please play a woman on the radio? Any woman. Doesn’t have to be me but if I hear one more bro country song I’m gonna vomit!”
The outburst apparently caused a rumble Sheryl’s label. “I was in the drop off lane at school,” she explained in a recent interview with KNCI at the ACM Awards. “I take my kids to school every morning. And I’d been listening to the radio from the time we left the house, and then for about another hour, and I didn’t hear any girls. So I just tweeted, ‘Will somebody play a woman?’ And the head of promotions at Warner was like ‘What the ___ are you doing!’
“We had so many more favorable comments,” Sheryl continued. “I mean we had very few people who disagreed. Me and Dierks [Bentley] were talking about it yesterday, ‘Less bro-country and more bra-country.'”
According to a conversation captured by The Tennessean, Sheryl’s bra-country consciousness actually started with an exchange between her and Dierks, completely autonomously from Terri Clark’s Canadian bra-country strain.
“All my good connections are through my wife,” Bentley said. “Cassidy and Sheryl are good bros. It’s not bros, what is it?”
“It’s bras,” Sheryl Crow responded. “We’re good bras.”
“Bra country,” Dierks replied. “It’s time for it. Oh my gosh. Trademark that and get the URL. Bra country.”
April 11, 2014 @ 8:28 am
No thanks. This will obviously be co-opted by the west coasters who pronounce bro “brah” and wear their hat with the brim on the side.
Besides, more women on the radio is only a good thing if they’re playing good country music. Sheryl Crow? No thanks. Elizabeth Cook? Please god, yes.
April 11, 2014 @ 8:51 am
Hey “bro” Central California is home Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and for a while Bob Wills. We keep it Country here. http://centralcalmusic.com
April 11, 2014 @ 12:54 pm
Not to mention Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, Gram Parsons, Wynn Stewart, Tommy Collins, Red Simpson, Vern Gosdin and all the various country-rock mutations like the Grateful Dead and their spin-offs. Or the modern bakersfield sounds like the Motherhips
You don’t have to sell me on California country, neither the music or the land or it’s people. I’m west coast proud and I even love California 😛 which not all Alaskans will admit to. I just hate brahs and bros and even many self-proclaimed rednecks fwiw! Maybe I’m just a people hater
April 11, 2014 @ 8:56 am
I have no problem with California or the west coast, just the word “brah”
April 11, 2014 @ 11:03 am
Sheryl is a talented artist. Maybe her latest album isn’t the most critically acclaimed but it’s better than bro country. Hell, All I Wanna Do is better and more country than bro country. Her point is millions of people want to hear a lot more women on country radio and I agree 100%! Like Jason Isbell said, women make most of today’s best country music. I’d love to hear a lot more of that music on country radio!
April 11, 2014 @ 12:46 pm
To put this in perspective, I am a traditional country music fan. Maybe that will help understand what I’m saying and where I’m coming from. I put Sheryl Crow on a level similar to Darius Rucker, I think both are good enough musicians, and I don’t hate their music but I’m not going to get excited about hearing more of it on the radio.
April 12, 2014 @ 11:29 am
I totally get you and think most everyone who comes to this site is passionate about great country music. The problem is country radio isn’t playing most women no matter what kind of country they send them. Even if a woman (besides the few they play) sends them the female equivalent of bro country, whatever that is, I bet they still wouldn’t play it. It’s against their rules. They also have an unwritten rule to never play 2 solo females in a row and it’s been that way for decades. It’s terrible that they always play 10-20 men and never 2 women in a row. If I wanted to listen to men all day I’d work at a prison. These dumb old practices keeping most women off radio and listeners from hearing their great music really need to change.
April 14, 2014 @ 11:45 am
I broke into radio at a country station in the late 1980s – which I believe was last gasp of the country radio format as a decent medium for someone who likes country music – and can attest tto the “don’t play two femaile artists in a row” rule. Some guys would freak out if they accidentally played two female artists in a row. It was a rule that I didn’t really observe, though.
July 26, 2017 @ 1:59 am
no way
April 11, 2014 @ 8:52 am
I think the Kellie Pickler saga is proof positive that if you don’t fit the mold 100% you’re on the Nashville shit-list faster than you can say “steel guitar”. With that, I’m sure “bra-country” is gonna suck just as bad as the rest of what’s on the radio.
Sheryl Crow oughtta know better than to listen to the radio in hopes of hearing something you like.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:18 am
And radio oughta know better than not playing the best, most critically acclaimed country music from Kellie Pickler, Ashley Monroe, Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, Maggie Rose, and many more women with great country music getting robbed at radio just because they are women. “Bra-country” refers to their music and it does not suck, it rules and is the best, most critically acclaimed country music today. It blows away a lot of what’s on radio. Like millions of people, Sheryl is hoping they start playing more women with great country music.
It’s not that radio doesn’t play something we like, it’s that it takes them way too long (hours) to do so. Sheryl said I Hold On is her favorite song on country radio right now and it’s one of mine too. It was also one of the best songs and performances on the ACMs. Too much of what radio plays is the same sounding bro country and not enough women (bra country). So I agree, less bro country and more bra country! Actually we want to hear a lot more women no matter what else radio plays and they’ve been underplaying women long before bro country started. Maybe it’s gotten worse since though.
October 14, 2015 @ 1:40 pm
That wouldn’t have bothered me at all. There have been so many female country legends down through the years from Kitty Wells to Loretta Lynn to Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette up to Reba. And let’s not forget those ladies who aren’t classified as country yet have done a lot for the genre. Linda Ronstadt and Norah Jones to just name two.
April 11, 2014 @ 9:01 am
I’m not impressed….If it was Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, or an Americana female was leading this, but the last thing I want is more Sheryl Crow on the radio. Honestly, she isn’t promoting more females on the radio, she’s pissed because she’s not on the radio. I love Terri Clark, no problem there. But Sheryl Crow is a washed up pop singer jumping on the bandwagon.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:03 am
Really? I would think women would welcome the support for more women on country radio. Washed up? Isn’t that the mentality that kept Loretta, Dolly, etc. off playlists? What horrible thing did Sheryl Crow do? Drink a latte? Wow!
Maybe you should publish a list of people that you approve of to support more music by women on radio. Nothing against Terri Clark but she’s not exactly a household name so I would think having Sheryl Crow would be helpful.
This kind of close-minded thinking actually begs the bigger question of “How to save country music from it’s fans?”
April 11, 2014 @ 2:26 pm
Terri Clark may not be a household name anymore because of typical country radio stations that won’t play female artists. It’s like pulling teeth, try calling and requesting a female artist see what you get. Hang on though, if Terri’s new album is what the locals say, then we will hear her again on the radio, as we should and all female artists, there’s enough to go around and then some.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:30 am
That’s not what I’m hearing and I’m very impressed. Sheryl is just the latest in a long line of fans of great music to speak out. This is like Kacey, Tom Petty, Zac Brown, Carrie Underwood, and many others speaking out for radio to play more great country music and women. Sheryl isn’t just promoting herself and she talks up other talented women. Did you listen to her above country radio interview where she said “there’s so many great women!”
https://twitter.com/SherylCrow/status/453020984426393601
Sheryl is on the radio. Her lead single hit #17 and her second is #26. The problem is country radio keeps most solo women out of the top 20 after just one single if that. They also keep many of the best from reaching the top 10 to #1. Clearly they have a sexist mentality and block on them.
I think it speaks volumes when artists from other genres speak out. Focus on the message and don’t shoot the messenger. I don’t care who is speaking out, it’s the truth.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:47 am
There is far more going on here than sexism. Almost all female acts test very poorly in call out research and like it or not that is a big thing that a lot of programmers use. And it’s not just the lower tier females it’s Lambert/Underwood/Swift also and as Trigger mentioned down below it’s not just men rejecting these songs it’s women also.
To pretend that it’s some grand conspiracy is ridiculous. If there was a great demand for more female songs on the radio then we would be seeing that. Plus it has to be said that there are female voices present with The Band Perry, Lady A, Thompson Square etc.
To be clear I would like to see more females on the radio but there are reasons for this situation that aren’t sinister or conspiratorial.
April 11, 2014 @ 12:39 pm
This is what the issue is in a nutshell: The men in country right now are willing to sell out at any cost, and the women aren’t. The men are necessitating that other men sell out to stay current with the trends, while the women are defiantly unwilling to do anything but what they feel is a true expression of themselves. Look at Tim McGraw and Jerrod Niemann. Then look at Kacey Musgraves and Kellie Pickler.
There’s no leadership in country. People are asking for bro-country because they don’t know there’s anything better out there. As soon as they figure that out, Bro Country will become the laughing stock of culture, destined to be lampooned by future generations, the Disco of our decade.
April 11, 2014 @ 1:28 pm
Has there been a recent period when females dominated radio play?
April 11, 2014 @ 2:50 pm
“Has there been a recent period when females dominated radio play?”
Country radio played more women in the 90s than today but I don’t know if women ever dominated. The 90s were 15 years ago so if anyone thinks this is just some short trend that’s going to correct itself with no effort think again. It’s getting worse folks.
April 11, 2014 @ 5:38 pm
I know this will eventually happen, but when?
April 11, 2014 @ 5:53 pm
What or who will be the event that starts to turn the ship around? May not even be in the country music realm. Maybe something that pulls the bro fans away from country?
April 11, 2014 @ 7:21 pm
When is the 64,000 question. I believe it will be when a big artist, male or female, emerges as a leader.
April 12, 2014 @ 10:15 am
…Amen..
April 12, 2014 @ 11:35 am
“When is the 64,000 question. I believe it will be when a big artist, male or female, emerges as a leader.”
Some radio players are pushing for radio to take back ownership of the music. Maybe that is when it will happen. Right now radio seems to be playing mostly whatever the biggest marketers are pushing to them, no matter how bad or non-country the music is.
April 11, 2014 @ 12:42 pm
Show us research to prove that “almost all female acts test very poorly in call out research.” The research excuse is a load of bull and radio is overplaying men that research worse than women. Radio research shows that men and women want to hear songs from men and women. Every time they give a female song a chance and play it to top 20 it researches well with men and women. Some test well anyway with very little airplay just because they sound that good. Right now radio has a single from a critically acclaimed solo female album stuck at #65 and it’s researching much, much higher at #23 right beside solo male songs radio is playing to #1 at the same time. The problem is country radio blocking most women out of the top 20 and 30, which also keeps their research scores lower than men in general. It’s a game they play to keep most women out of the top 10-20.
Why bring groups with men into this discussion? We want to hear more solo females, not more groups women and men singing (they aren’t getting underplayed). Plus radio plays all male duos and groups like Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, and Dan + Shay but no all female. Male/female duos and groups don’t count for the female side. That’s why they are classified as duos and groups, not solo males or solo females. Radio gives solo males the vast majority of the chart and solo females only about 10-15% of it. Plus they give solo males most of the top 10 and keep women out of it most of each year.
April 11, 2014 @ 1:09 pm
‘We want to hear more solo females’
I agree with you but the evidence shows that we are not in the majority when it comes to fans of mainstream country radio. You seem to think that this is some kind of concerted nefarious plot to keep women off the radio and I’m trying to tell you that there are reasons why this is happening. These programmers (and they aren’t all CC and Cumulus) are responding to what the majority of their listeners want like any business tries to do.
I mentioned TBP and Lady A because many of these programmers mention them as female led when this topic comes up and I think that is a fair point as I think TBP really is just Kimberley Perry with a couple of helmet haired automotons next to her.
April 11, 2014 @ 1:51 pm
“I agree with you but the evidence shows that we are not in the majority when it comes to fans of mainstream country radio.”
Why don’t you post this evidence? I’ve heard all the excuses radio people give out for underplaying women and all have been dispelled many times before, even in the same radio publications they read and by people working in radio.
“I appreciate you passion for this topic I really do but I just don”™t think you are looking at this from the right perspective. The reason FGL, Aldean and Bryan songs get airplay is because they have fans that like them and record sales and concert tickets prove this.”
Or are you not looking at this from the right perspective? Where do you think most of their fans, record and ticket sales came from? Heavy radio airplay, same as anyone with big sales. They get airplay because radio plays them, then sales follow, or do you think they started out headlining huge venues with no airplay? Kellie Pickler’s debut album sold more than Luke Bryan’s yet radio only played Luke to #1. Radio has played many men with lower sales past women with higher sales, so that argument doesn’t hold water either.
Clearly there is a concerted effort to not play most of best country women and music, and radio isn’t responding to what the majority of listeners want to hear. I’ve seen them completely ignore great research for female songs while overplaying men with weak research.
Of course some programmers mention TBP and Lady A as an excuse to try to justify underplaying solo women. Doesn’t mean you should too if you really want radio to play more women. There’s a lot more besides Carrie, Miranda, and Kim Perry that we want played to #1. And those same programmers conveniently don’t mention that they play male duos and groups like Florida Georgia Line, Rascal Flatts, and Dan + Shay or give solo females just 15% of the chart when discussing this topic.
April 11, 2014 @ 2:16 pm
Ok this is my final post on this topic as we are getting nowhere here. I generally agree with most of your comments but I refuse to believe there is some ‘concerted effort’ to not play female artists. For this to be true it would entail literally hundreds of people colluding for some mysterious reason. Country radio is riding high right now with this God forsaken business model and you and I may hate it but to them they have found the secret and until the trend turns it will stay the same.
April 11, 2014 @ 2:43 pm
“For this to be true it would entail literally hundreds of people colluding for some mysterious reason.”
As mentioned in the many articles about radio consolidation here, just a few companies own most of the big stations counted for the charts. So it’s either top down orders, group think or both and I’ve heard indications of top down. Some of these groups add a song to all of their stations at once. When the largest group of stations play a song, the rest tend to follow the leader and play the same song. Someone referred to this as “sheep mentality” in a radio industry publication. Also look in the comments under this article
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/09/10/cma-award-nominations-analysis-taylor-swift-kacey-musgraves/2795035/
“As long as a majority of country radio program directors continue to be old men, this will be an issue.”
Says someone working in radio. Sounds like sexism to me.
April 11, 2014 @ 5:04 pm
It’s not about sexism, it’s about money. That’s what Clear Channel and Cumulus care about. The music business is on shaky ground, radio is declining, and according to Trigger’s article a while back, Clear Channel reported a $300 million dollar loss last quarter, despite cutting costs through rampant consolidation. These corporations are trying to keep their media empires afloat by any means necessary and it just so happens that “country” radio, and specifically the wave of male-oriented “bro-country” is the goose that laid the golden egg at the moment. (I still think part of this it due to the death of rock radio.)
Clear Channel and Cumulus’ overall radio strategy at the moment is to be conservative: less variety, fewer songs repeated more often, etcetera, in the hopes that listeners absolutely will not flip the station, turn on satellite radio, or plug in an MP3-playing device instead. And with the country market specifically, I think they’ve clearly decided that their demographic is 18-30 something year old males. And apparently they don’t think the singles mainstream country females are putting out right now are marketable to that niche. Either because the “bro” audience don’t want to hear women, or because the songs female artists are putting out are too substantive for the “bros” to handle. The way I see it, even if Clear Channel/Cumulus are wrong, or underestimating their audience, as long as they *perceive* that the bro audience doesn’t want to hear Brandy Clark, for example, they’re not going to take a chance. In other words, CC and Cumulus together are like a football team backed up near their own endzone that run the ball three downs in a row because they’re terrified of throwing an interception that close to the goal line. And when those two entities dominate the industry and culture of radio, a lot of the independent stations are going to follow suit.
I don’t think the conservative strategies are motivated by sexism on the part of Clear Channel or Cumulus. If the profitable trend at the moment was some type of girl-country rather than “bro-country,” they would be catering to that audience instead.
April 11, 2014 @ 9:10 pm
I gotta say, I don’t agree with you…I’m not saying that I’m against her message. I just don’t think she has any ground to stand on. Her saying this isn’t the same thing as Kacey, Zac Brown, or Carrie Underwood. These are the people that are actually getting the boot. Sheryl Crow isn’t included in that. She has no business in the country genre. If she wants to support women in country, more power to her. But I just don’t feel like it’s very genuine with her. She’s not saying this as a country music fan. She’s saying it as a country music artist, which she’s not. I think that is another difference with her an the other guys. With Kacey Musgraves and Zac Brown, you can just tell where there heart is. They have those true country elements in their music and that’s why they are speaking out. They want good country music back because they love it. Maybe I’m not making any sense here, but Sheryl Crow just truly annoys me
April 12, 2014 @ 12:33 pm
Thinking about what country radio plays, why does she have no business in country? She’s more country, is a better musician/artist and has better music than some pop and “country” acts they play. Even her old pop/rock hits are more country than many songs on country radio. Does FGL belong in country?
Applejack: “Clear Channel and Cumulus”™ overall radio strategy at the moment is to be conservative: less variety, fewer songs repeated more often, etcetera, in the hopes that listeners absolutely will not flip the station, turn on satellite radio, or plug in an MP3-playing device instead.”
That isn’t working well enough because millions of people are paying to hear better and more diverse country music on the satellite country stations and switching to Pandora and other streaming services. If that doesn’t speak loud and clear about what FM radio does and doesn’t play I don’t know what does. As soon as they started playing pure pop and bro country I started station flipping. I’ve read about FM country radio getting disenfranchised rock fans, which may be a temporary gain (fools gold). And there are women country radio isn’t playing that rock just as hard or harder and with better songs than many men they play. Carrie, Miranda, and Kim Perry aren’t the only women rocking country. I’m a fan of great country and rock and there’s nothing great about bro country, it’s weak overproduced rock and pop. And what kind of rock fan wants to hear synthesized pop songs or Dan + Shay’s easy pop more than great country/rock songs? The womens’ country/rock blows it away with better vocals, music, lyrics, and production. That said I’d be fine with radio playing bro country AND more women. It doesn’t have to be one vs. the other, just play more country women.
Apparently Rush Limbaugh pissed off and lost many listeners and there’s the huge consolidation debt. Playing and underplaying solo females isn’t what caused radio’s problems, and country radio not playing enough of them started years before this recent rock radio demo chase. I highly doubt country radio will lose listeners if they play more than the 2 or 3 solo females they play on a regular basis. They play many weaker male debut singles past women with higher sales and better research.
April 16, 2014 @ 1:29 pm
Chris,
I agree with almost everything you said. I’m not trying to defend Clear Channel, believe me! I was just trying give my explanation of the myopic mindset that I think is leading them to make the decisions they are making. I think the conservative strategies are going to fail in the end.
April 11, 2014 @ 12:35 pm
I agree. When I stopped listening to country station, I started listening to soft rock. She was on that soft rock station so much it was sickening. I noticed the same thing when I switched over to Lite FM. I really dislike her music/voice. She should have no complaints about not being played on the radio. If they never played her again, she still would have been played more times than her talent deserved.
April 11, 2014 @ 9:09 am
Rock radio has always had a major problem playing female acts and since country radio has now become the defacto rock radio it should surprise no one that women are no longer being played on the radio. Look at all the producers, programmers and executives in today’s mainstream country radio that have rock roots and it totally makes sense why this is happening. As long as rock radio is dead then this will be a problem in ‘country’ radio.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:50 am
Maybe country radio not playing women started before rock radio died. What year did it die? I don’t know if many women are rock screamers/shouters. Are the best, most critically acclaimed modern rock albums from solo females? They are in country but country radio isn’t playing most of them. Country is the genre traditonally known for the best pure singing vocals and more women than men are great vocalists. Comparing rock to country seems apples to oranges. Plus there are women with great country/rock songs not getting played on country radio. Some of those women outrock men with weak, watered down generic pop songs. So I’m surprised country radio isn’t playing more of those women. The problem could be that most programmers and executives are male, I don’t know. Pop radio plays and keeps more women in their top 10. Are most pop programmers male?
April 11, 2014 @ 12:05 pm
My comment is hardly original it has been said by many people here and other places. It is a big reason for the success of FGL and Aldean and others. The number and market share of rock radio stations has declined precipitously in the last ten to twenty years. The death of the rock band has been talked about greatly in many places and the fact that those who were fans of rock music have gravitated to country.
I would even say that one of the reasons for Miranda Lambert holding on is her edgy angry rock like songs. Her quieter more introspective stuff (All Kinds Of Kinds) don’t do as well.
April 11, 2014 @ 1:08 pm
Why would rock fans love the weak, watered down generic pop songs country radio is playing? The main reason for the success of FGL, Aldean and others is that radio keeps playing their songs to #1. The issue is radio isn’t giving enough solo females the same shot. Cassadee Pope isn’t a rocker? She had a rock band, outsings, outrocks, and has more original songs than FGL, and she’s not the only one. Why didn’t radio play her debut single to #1?
April 11, 2014 @ 1:17 pm
I appreciate you passion for this topic I really do but I just don’t think you are looking at this from the right perspective. The reason FGL, Aldean and Bryan songs get airplay is because they have fans that like them and record sales and concert tickets prove this.
April 11, 2014 @ 9:25 am
Be warned. Us Canuckleheads have inflicted your country with Celine, Nickleback and Advil Levigne. Treat this with extreme caution. You’re welcome !
April 11, 2014 @ 10:07 am
Also Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:07 am
Also The Band (4 out of 5), Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Hank Snow, Cowboy Junkies, Kathleen Edwards, Corb Lund, Lindi Ortega, Daniel Romano, etc. Makes up for it, I’d say.
April 11, 2014 @ 6:06 pm
Rush
All else is forgiven.
April 11, 2014 @ 7:49 pm
Rush is horrible! most overrated band ever.
April 11, 2014 @ 8:10 pm
We should not criticize what we do not understand.
April 12, 2014 @ 6:14 am
Overrated? By whom? They’ve been pummelled by hipster critics for their whole career and yet somehow have managed to thrive for about 40 years.
April 11, 2014 @ 7:56 pm
“Be cool or be CAST OUT!” 😀
April 11, 2014 @ 9:42 pm
“inflicted your country with Celine”
Thank you for giving us the gift of such a great singer.
April 11, 2014 @ 9:38 am
Roseanne Cash.
Alison Krauss
Sara Evans. Wynonna, Faith, Gretchen and Shania…where are they?
Dolly, Reba, Martina, Trisha and LeAnn Womack
Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless, Rhonda Vincent
My preference of Bonnie Raitt and Mary Chapin Carpenter over Sheryl.
May 8, 2014 @ 6:18 pm
Country women are actually doing better on my personal song chart than on the mainstream “country” chart. Roseanne Cash went to #1 recently on my genre-diverse chart with “Modern Blue.” Jennifer Nettles’ “That Girl” made the top 10, as did Sara Evans’ “Slow Me Down.” Six years ago, Leann Rimes made the top 5 on my chart with her thoughtful song “What I Cannot Change,” which missed the Billboard country chart entirely. Reba made the top 10 of my chart in early 2012 with the vastly underrated “Somebody’s Chelsea,” and Faith Hill reached the top 20 around the same time with “Come Home.” Neither song did well nationally. A lot of sincere songs, many by women, are flopping. There are some genuine male acts out there, but many are struggling as well. However, the songs by women are struggling even more.
April 11, 2014 @ 10:30 am
I have to be a bad guy here and state that to some people such as myself, women singers are not appealing to my ears. With a few exceptions, I tend to stay away from their music. I don’t know what it is, I just prefer a man’s voice and lyrics. This may be sexist, but it is a certain taste in music that I have. I know that I’m not alone on this. I have friends that feel the same, and I seem to remember hearing a Hank 3 interview where he said something along those lines.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:04 am
I think it’s fairly normal for most listeners to relate more to artists that are of the same sex, and thus, the same perspective as them. There’s nothing wrong with that, and people shouldn’t feel guilty about that. However, half the population is female, and so there’s no reason they should be underserved. Of course, part of the problem is that female listeners of corporate radio have have taken on the same subservient roles as bro country lyrics put them in, and so they don’t want to listen to women either, meaning mainstream country has become a vacuum for women.
I personally love female country singers just as much as male, but I’m not going to look down my nose at anyone who doesn’t. However, when the exclusion of female artists becomes institutionalized like it has in country, there’s a problem.
Will “bra-country” be the solution? It’s probably more of a funny, catchy name than a plan for solving country’s sex gap. But it makes for interesting conversation at least.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:48 am
It’s odd that you say there is an exclusion of female artists in country music right now. I see it more as a fluctuation. Did Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler not have a few good years? Did we not have a lack of successful male artists in the mainstream during that time? Didn’t you write in several articles on how the power was to the women? And we certainly cannot discount Kacey Musgraves and Brandy Clark right now.
The roles bro country has established for women right now is no different than the way all of our American society has done for years. It sets women back on their accomplishments.
April 11, 2014 @ 12:03 pm
I’ve written a ton of articles saying that women are taking the lead right now in popular country music, but that’s not based off of commercial success or radio play whatsoever, that’s based on critical merit. Brandy Clark has probably made 1/100th of the money off of her own music that Cole Swindell has made with one song. Kacey Musgraves may be winning awards left and right, but she has never had a Top 10 radio hit. Never. It’s not that women are underrepresented on radio, it’s that they’re virtually non existent. This problem isn’t cyclical, it is systemic. Sure Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and Miranda Lambert have had some hits here and there, but they were anomalies, and with Taylor, it was because they were pop songs. There was a reason Sheryl Crow was nominated at the ACMs for Female Vocalist without a significant radio hit: it’s because there’s no other women out there right now in mainstream country. Meanwhile on the male side, there 25+ artists that have hits recently.
April 11, 2014 @ 12:48 pm
Ah, good points. So the question is, will the change need to come from an artist or an executive? We already see women out there that can change the outlook, and can represent their genre and their gender well. So is it up to the executives to push them, or the rest of society to accept them? Who will be the woman saving country music?
savingfemalecountrymusic.com
April 11, 2014 @ 2:45 pm
Trigger…Think about how many hits Terri Clark had from 1980ish to 2000. She made a helluva record of TRULY County classic songs…and I didn’t hear ONE on the radio. Someone that has NEVER sold out on her country roots, and she can’t get played on the radio. SO annoying. When I hear a FGL or Luke Bryan song….literally change the station immediately. Same with the rap / country thing. Done once was creative…repeatedly it is annoying.
April 11, 2014 @ 12:01 pm
It’s not funny or catchy. I’d call it obnoxious. I’d like to think that the people who want to champion more diversity on country radio could do so with a bit of intelligent discussion and more dignity than is reflected in the music that makes them want to “vomit”. I also wasn’t impressed with Sheryl’s tweet. It wasn’t clear to me if she was asking for more music by female artists or if she was just trashing fellow artists whose music she doesn’t like.
And I would place a bet that Sheryl Crow doesn’t refer to women as girls when she’s outside of her country mode.
April 11, 2014 @ 12:33 pm
I said it was funny and catchy (which I think it is) to illustrate the lighthearted nature of it. You may not like the term, but it doesn’t mean others don’t find it funny.
I’m not necessarily endorsing “bra-country” here, I’m just reporting on what’s going on. At this point, all it is is a silly little term that exists on a couple of female artist’s social network platforms. There is no “bra-country” revolution except for in a few people’s minds. There isn’t a bra-country home office with a secretary answering the phones. There are no “Bra-Country Awards” scheduled. Taking it as something that one needs to come out vehemently against is probably giving it way more credence than it actually has in any of its proponent’s minds. It’s a discussion point; something to giggle at and move on. Let’s not make too much of this.
I do agree though, the way we’re going to solve this issue in the long-term is education and meaningful support behind female artists who deserve more attention.
April 11, 2014 @ 1:17 pm
You don’t have to justify what you wrote or chastise me for my take on it. My opinion is just that – an opinion as part of a discussion. It wasn’t a criticism. I just happen to think their approach to a serious subject is juvenile.
April 11, 2014 @ 5:00 pm
I apologize if you thought I was chastising you, that was certainly not my intention. I was simply trying to clarify my position, and to communicate that we should appreciate this is just a few women talking at this point, and nothing more. I agree there are more fundamental ways to tackle this problem.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:28 pm
Bates, you have an interesting perspective. About 15 years ago, I would have agreed with you. Today I am indifferent. I like to hear traditional country songs from artists of both genders. And in some ways the voice of a traditional female singer has a special place in my heart. But bad female country pop annoys me about as much as bro country.
In the late 1990s it was mostly the females who were crossing over to pop, and male artists generally stuck with country. These days male and female artists seem to be equally eager to sell country’s soul. The sound of a Jason Aldean or Luke Bryan single makes me long for the voice of an Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack, or Patty Loveless. But the reality is that if country radio played less Aldean and Bryan today they would probably just play more Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood songs.
April 11, 2014 @ 10:33 am
Maybe not on pop, bro-country radio, but women are keeping it real in country music.
Here’s a few just off the top of my head… I’m sure I’m forgetting a bunch more, and even more I don’t know about yet…
Lindi Ortega
Holly Williams
Emmylou Harris
Kasey Musgraves
Kelly Willis
Ashley Monroe (solo)
April 11, 2014 @ 1:36 pm
I think there are just as many men keeping it real who don’t get radio airplay either.
April 11, 2014 @ 5:01 pm
9 Women Who Could Immediately Make Country Music Better
https://savingcountrymusic.com/9-women-who-could-immediately-make-country-better
April 11, 2014 @ 11:32 pm
I’d like to hear more of these women on country radio. But I don’t think the main reason they are not getting more airplay is their gender – it’s because they are not pop/rock enough for today’s “country” radio.
April 11, 2014 @ 10:55 am
Bra country! LOL Love it! Bra country is the best country so it’s a shame radio doesn’t play a lot more of it! Sick of hearing 10-20 male songs (bro country or not) to just one female song! Country radio not playing the best country women/music is bullshit and this is exactly the kind of speaking up that artists, fans, media, radio listeners, etc. need to do a lot more of if any change at radio is going to have a chance of happening. A revolution is exactly what we need and even the radio interviewer said it’s important for people to speak up. Keep them punches comin’ folks! 😉
April 11, 2014 @ 11:06 am
“Sheryl”™s bra-country consciousness actually started with an exchange between her and Dierks, completely autonomously from Terri Clark”™s Canadian bra-country strain.”
Oddly enough, Dierks did a duet with Terri (a cover of “Golden Ring”) on her last album, ‘Classic’. 😀
While “bra country” sounds a bit silly, I definitely agree country outlets could use a few more women in the mix, for variety’s sake.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:24 am
I doubt that much will come of this bra country, but I’ve always liked Terri Clark. I’ve seen her in concert twice and she was great. I’ll add her fellow Canadian Lisa Brokop and a few others that haven’t been mentioned like Suzy Bogguss, Jennifer Nettles, Kristin Kelly, Maggie Rose, Sunny Sweeney, Pam Tillis and Elana James.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:30 am
This was slightly amusing at first ….. and then you mentioned Sheryl Crow. But in all seriousness, I hope this catches on somewhat. I respect Terri Clark and was just the other day wondering what had happened to her and her career. But I hope this morphs into something substantive, not just the female version of the sexist party song.
April 11, 2014 @ 11:58 am
So is this or isn’t it going to be based on surfing?
April 11, 2014 @ 12:33 pm
Radio has NEVER really played much in the way of women, period. And now it is far worse than ever. Classic rock radio around me only plays MAYBE two women all day; Heart and possibly Janis… No Tina Turner, no Linda Ronstadt, hell no Joan Jett or Runaways, or Pat Benatar, Kate Bush…
Jazz radio is another sad story with a few women vocalists getting air time but no female instrumentalists. Pop and top 40 play women but nobody who really trailblazed and is/was inspiring and doing great innovative work.
The best I’ve heard around here is Joni Mitchell on occasion, MAYBE a drop of Bonnie Raitt, & oldies will give you girl groups and Carole King and Aretha sometimes but never Wanda Jackson or Janis Martin or Rose Maddox…
And I live in the SF area and this is what mainstream is offering. We are supposedly musically diverse. I know we have indie stations here but mainstream is lame stream.
Also look at just about music CD anthology it is the same story, 99% men no matter what genre, unless it is a compilation specifically of women artists.
I like Terri Clark and I LOVED Sheryl’s first album (and one should note Sheryl did say she doesn’t care if they play here she just wants to hear women) so I agree more women and better men. Play some Ray Wylie Hubbard and Lyle Lovett they are still doing great stuff.
Actually scratch that, what need to do is to bring back the art of the DJ. Those people who were steeped in music and LOVED it. Those folks who were YOUR DJ because they were going to play what you liked and introduce you to new stuff you might like. Round here we had the LEGEND Dave Morey and since he retired the hole has been HUGE. Bring back the DJ that was allowed to run his show because he knew what he was doing. That would really help, payola scam excluded.
I do agree with another commentor that I read it as “brah-country” first before I saw Terri Clark and it made me laugh because I thought did CA co-opt the brocountry movement.
April 11, 2014 @ 12:43 pm
I do agree with this and since you mention them, it always bugs me how little cred. Heart gets with classic rock fans. They may get played, but their name never comes up in discussions like Led Zep or Sabbath does, or even as often as Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult, etc.
Nancy Wilson is a guitar GODDESS, her acoustic into to Crazy on You is epic. At 60 years old she is blowing her contemporaries out of the water with her abilities. Ann has got some serious pipes, and like her sister outperforms her contemporaries.
April 11, 2014 @ 2:11 pm
I think there were a lot more men than women making the best classic rock. More women than men are topping the best country albums of the year lists and winning album of the year awards, yet country radio isn’t playing them. Here’s a recent random comparison of the country and pop radio top 10 charts. Pop has 3 solo females in the top 10 and 2 in the top 5, which never happens at country radio and it should. If pop radio treated women like country radio does, maybe Sheryl never would’ve hit #1 and sold over 50 million albums in pop.
Country Radio Top 10
Blake Shelton
Randy Houser
Jerrod Niemann
Dierks Bentley
Eric Church
Brantley Gilbert
Rascal Flatts
Thompson Square
Thomas Rhett
Florida-Georgia Line
Pop (Top 40) Radio Top 10
Pharrell Williams
Katy Perry ✔
Lorde ✔
Jason Derulo
Bastille
John Legend
Demi Lovato ✔
Aloe Blacc
American Authors
OneRepublic
The other pop formats (AC and Hot AC) also have 3 solo women in the top 10.
April 11, 2014 @ 6:20 pm
I think your classic rock station may just suck. On our local classic rock station I hear Heart all the time, along with Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Janis, Blondie, Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane), Fleetwood Mac (Stevie and Christine), Tina Turner.
But to compare classic rock to country in the amount of female artists being played is flawed. Most notably because there are so many more male artists from classic rock compared to female artists. That’s not the case in country.
As an aside, Ann and Nancy may be under appreciated by the general public, but are very much revered in the hard rock/classic rock/metal community.
April 11, 2014 @ 6:39 pm
1970s Heart is very good and Ann Wilson may be the best female frontwoman in Rock and Roll history. And they are from Seattle too!
This is Heart at their HOF induction last year and Ann can still bring it at 60+.
‘Crazy On You’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0AVLRLtMgc
April 11, 2014 @ 12:37 pm
If the bra movement somehow results in more trad. country songs on the radio, or just more women (do you believe in magic?) then I’m all for it.
I do think being a woman is probably a barrier to getting radio play (and selling CDs) but I don’t think it’s really the most critical barrier. Making what most of us think is good music seems to be the biggest barrier. Would explain why I’m not hearing any of my favorite artists both male and female on the radio. Even the ones who get some airplay, the radio is only going to play their worst songs i.e. their most bro’d up laundry list songs.
If I ever heard Sara Evans “Three Chords and the Truth” on the radio I’d probably crash my car just from the inner spaz attack.
April 11, 2014 @ 12:42 pm
Crow needs to disappear.Runs her mouth then willinging participates in a bro-country infested awards show that only has one female performance in 3 hours.And Dierks has defended Luke Bryan a lot in the past, so he needs to zip it as well.
April 11, 2014 @ 5:36 pm
I miss the 90’s when I could hear Suzy Bogguss,Kathy Mattea,Patty Loveless,Alison Krauss ,Pam Tillis,Holly Dunn,Lorrie Morgan,Martina McBride,Trisha Yearwood,Mary Chapin Carpenter,Shania,Chely Wright,Reba,Carlene Carter,Roseanne Cash,and Jan Browne,The McCarters,Deborah Allen,Michelle Wright,The Kinleys,Sara Evans,Emmylou Harris,Tammy Cochran,and so many more talented females on the radio–AND on shows on TNN like Nashville Now,Video Morning and Video PM,Church Street Station,etc…when TNN was sold it not only killed country’s popularity,it also extinguished a lot of promising female artists chances of getting the success and popularity they deserved..
Despite many of these talented women getting some decent airtime and reaching the tops of the charts,in the late 80’s and 90’s ,once the MEN started taking over,all we got to hear was Garth.Toby,Travis Tritt ,Tim McGraw and a dozen other guys 90% of the time…and,once they women hit 40,they were litteraly blacklisted by country radio…
Despite many of them now being over 50,they are producing some of the best music ever,yet no one that listens to radio ever got to hear it–only die hard fans that went to concerts and bought these “unknown” cd’s got to enjoy them–and the artists suffered because of the lack of exposure..also many “radio singles” were usually the cheesiest and tackiest songs on the females Cd’s,not their “best”..the best songs remained buried as album cuts only serious fans heard when they bought the CD..
I feel it is a sin that Bluegrass has never had a real shot at getting broadcast on FM radio here in the northeast also..only a few independently owned stations were brave enough to give artists like Rhonda Vincent,Alison Krauss and The Cox Family any airtime,along with every other talented artist and band in that genre..Bluegrass has some of THE most talented vocalists and musicians,too bad no one gets to hear them on the radio..
I feel country radio is “owned” by record labels,who control who the program directors can or cannot play,and when the stations in MA and RI wont even give
Jo-Dee Messina’s new CD a spin ,her HOME state,that tells me its not due to it not being worthy ,its because she’s no longer on a major label,and produced it herself,as have many of the other females who either were dropped from,or decided to leave big labels in order to have more freedom over their songs and style..
Its unfair the women never seem to get the exposure the guys do–and I really get irritated when I talk to someone who claims to be a fan of country music,and goes “WHO?” when I mention the names of many of these talented ladies..but its not their fault–if radio played THEM too,they would know who I’m talking about…
Our only small independent country station that played ALL the artists you requested AND had Terry Hurd’s “Into The Blue” bluegrass hour was sold in 1997,after 18 years of being the “best” country station in MA…along with TNN going off that year,its been downhill ever since as far as hearing anything “good” on country radio…they also refuse to play any of the REAL old country like Cash,Jones,Merle,Hank Sr. & Jr…we really need another station who plays it ALL,not just a select few repeatedly ..I’m not the biggest fan Sheryl Crow has,but I dont mind her coming over to country…like Jewel,I think they belonged there to start with,really…If I turn on the radio today,the only familiar voice I might hear is Sara Evans,maybe Martina or an oldie by a few of the females I mentioned previously–other than them,I find after just a few years,I dont even know who 90% of the “new” artists are that have taken over the airwaves..
I buy Cd’s at concerts and support the artists I enjoy that way…and I have gotten to meet many artists and get autographs and to chat with many of them which I consider an honor…one thing that irks me a lot at concerts is when a local country station is there ,who wont play that artists records,but they want their time to record station promos and kiss up to them,like they are their friends..they aren’t doing them any favors really..I do hope the lack of female artists airplay does get turned around…sooner or later people will tire of the same songs and artists being played over and over..If I were a DJ I probably get fired my first day on the job for playing real country and talented women,and bluegrass!..
April 11, 2014 @ 8:15 pm
Yeah, I miss those days too… While the ladies didn’t exactly dominate — I seem to recall a lot of cookie-cutter cute boys in cowboy hats getting the lion’s share of the airplay — there was more of a variety of female voices when they DID get play (as opposed to the same few over and over again), and I think it made for a better mix of traditional, pop/rock and folk elements in country.
April 12, 2014 @ 11:56 am
I spent most of my time growing up watching the The Nashville Network, rarely ever changed the channel. Lot of great programing from American Music Shop to The George Jones Show. And it wasn’t just music, it was also Nascar and other forms of motor sports as well as Hunting & cooking shows. Like there slogan said, The Heart Of Country TNN.
Another good young female singer from the 90’s was Amie Comeaux, she wasn’t around that long because she was killed in an auto accident.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC5dLjY-ASE
April 11, 2014 @ 6:01 pm
Sheryl Crow is a carpetbagger whose last good album was released in 1998 – The Global Sessions. I once declared Terri Clark “a perennial opening act” … in 1998! I’ll listen if Marinda Lambert or Kacey Musgraves have something constructive to say about a girl movement in country music. Otherwise, it’s just noise.
April 11, 2014 @ 6:05 pm
Above all else, at the end of the day, I just want to hear better legitimate country music with affecting lyrics rich with imagery and storytelling and, though are welcome to experiment with elements from other genres, maintain a contrast to where, when I’m turning the dial and hear the song come on, I know it’s authentically country.
I will agree that, ever since the FCC, Clear Channel and Cumulus completely reshaped the nature of radio to where it is all driven by demographics, virtually women and all minorities have suffered in particular. But it’s important to remember women, specifically, are just one of numerous demographic profiles disenfranchised by radio’s obsession with demographics. Darius Rucker is the only African-American enjoying measurable country airplay. There are no Hispanics, Asian-Americans, Muslims and Pacific Islanders among other racial and ethnic minorities enjoying measurable country airplay (despite Hispanics burgeoning in terms of demographics and are expected to become the majority eventually). There are no (at least publicly) gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and genderqueers enjoying measurable country airplay. There’s no one (at least to self-professed public knowledge) diagnosed with autism, Down Syndrome or cerebral palsy enjoying measurable country airplay.
You see the point? It’s extraordinarily lame that each of these minorities just so happen to be conspicuously absent from country airwaves entirely. However, on the other hand, I don’t want anyone to fill the chasms simply for the sake of filling the chasms (via affirmative action). I’d much rather see anyone let the music do the talking and, hopefully, close the minority gaps through their own hard work and wit with social media and grassroots outreach.
April 11, 2014 @ 9:56 pm
There are very few non-whites or open LGBTs who are releasing country songs or albums at all. On the other hand, there are plenty of women releasing high-quality country music yet getting little to no airplay.
April 12, 2014 @ 12:01 am
The broader part I was making is that I don’t care which demographic is singing the song. I just want better music in the genre and for the individual to be recognized as opposed to feeling the urge, based on obligation, to let five entertainers of one demographic in for every five of another demographic also represented, and so on.
The bottom line is, most of the best all-around entertainers and/or singer/songwriters among BOTH women and men are being shunned at radio. Most of the male artists I most enjoy are being ostracized at the gate in favor of most of the worst, AND all of the female artists I most enjoy are just being ignored and shunned altogether.
The latter is especially tragic. Even so, I don’t root on a woman to breakout just because she’s a woman. I root on a woman to breakout because she is exceptionally talented and has a gift that deserves to be heard, just as I believe rings true all around. It’s no secret that there is such a ridiculous gender discrepancy at play, but gender-balancing alone won’t solve that at all.
After all, one of the single greatest embarrassments in corporate country over the past two decades in my opinion, along with Rascal Flatts, is Faith Hill. Hill may have a strong voice, but she has always wasted it on the most juvenile and banal material I ever heard growing up at the time. Rarely does a day go by to this day where my eardrums are not assaulted by either “The Way You Love Me” or “Mississippi Girl” when I dare plunder mainstream radio at my own peril.
While I obviously want to see more women represented on country airwaves, I more eloquently hope, when this finally happens, they’ll be more in the vein of Brandy Clark, Ashley Monroe and Lindi Ortega and have nothing to do with cloning entertainers as faceless as Faith Hill or an early incarnation of LeAnn Rimes.
April 12, 2014 @ 9:48 am
I agree, focusing on gender or any outside factor should be secondary to the concern, “Is the music good? Is it stimulating?” It just happens to be that right now, the majority of mainstream country males are not making good, stimulating music, and the majority of women are, but not getting any radio play. So at the moment the issue breaks down gender lines.
April 12, 2014 @ 10:29 am
Agree with your points, but liked for the slam on Rascal Flatts, the band I primarily blame for driving me away from mainstream country for a good four years.
Thank god Sturgill Simpson is dropping his album on the same day in May, because between Rascal Flatts and Brantley Gilbert, my country reviews might take a… well, let’s call it a dark turn.
April 12, 2014 @ 12:04 pm
Don’t forget Faith Hills “This Kiss”, that was another awful song, even Cletus T Judd did a parody of it called “Christmas”. I hold Faith Hill responsible for that horrible song as well.
April 11, 2014 @ 7:17 pm
Does the term “bra country” include 24 year old pop crossover singers with prepubescent bodies (and voices) who might not need a bra?
April 11, 2014 @ 9:57 pm
“prepubescent bodies (and voices) who might not need a bra?”
Stay classy…
April 12, 2014 @ 5:56 am
Creepy troll comment.
April 12, 2014 @ 7:01 am
Or just hateful and immature like you Adrian?
April 12, 2014 @ 8:10 am
I meant this half jokingly, because “bra country” is a stereotype just like “bro country”. From my perspective the main issue here is not gender, it is the type of music that is played on country radio. When the popular women have songs that become radio hits, the songs often have a pop/rock sound. I’m questioning whether “bra country” should include such sounds.
April 11, 2014 @ 9:49 pm
Ugh. Terri Clark is a has-been and has no relevance in music today. Her music was, and is, mediocre at best.
It’s obviously a flippant joke she’s made here, but this seems like a sad attempt to get some attention. Please retire, Terri! Let the talented female artists talk!
April 12, 2014 @ 6:39 am
To the ” Canuck” who referred to me as a ” has been” who should retire ? First off: what have you done lately ? And secondly- the comment I made on my syndicated morning show (that I do 5 days a week ,in between making a new record with Jason Aldeans producer, writing songs, and a making a good living touring) , was a flippant joke and play on the words ” bro country” everyone has been throwing around these days. I don’t care what gender is getting more airplay- as long as the music is good. If I was an ” attention” whore- believe me, there is a LOT more I could do, or say to go looking for that. Pass. It’s called ” entertainment, and fun. Oh. Ooops. I forgot. I should retire , so never mind.
April 12, 2014 @ 9:44 am
Terri,
I hope you understand that I definitely picked up on the spirit and sarcasm in your “bra-country” comment, along with the similar tongue-and-cheek nature of the Sheryl Crow/Dierks Bentley moment. Unfortunately I think some may have taken the “9join the movement)” in the bottom left corner a little too seriously, but I do think it helped stimulate a very important discussion about the minority role women are being given in country music today.
I also apologize for some of my commenters. They can be jackyls around here! 😉 I wanted to focus more on women in country music, and the majority offered stimulating and insightful commentary.
April 12, 2014 @ 2:25 pm
You apologize way more than is necessary.
April 13, 2014 @ 6:29 pm
Agree.
April 12, 2014 @ 12:02 pm
You rock! Been a fan since “Better Things to Do.”
April 12, 2014 @ 12:16 pm
Terri keep in mind that early this week a member of Luke Bryan’s circle tweeted that “George Strait needs to hang his hat up”. Even though he can still sell out a stadium in his 60’s. Just goes to show you that some people speak before they think.
Also is Anita Cochran still playing in your band? She had some good songs, and sounded a lot like you.
April 12, 2014 @ 12:52 pm
I laugh when I see or think about “bro country” so I totally get that “bra country” is a flippant joke but guess it also works to draw more attention to this issue and the more the better. I don’t care which gender is getting more airplay either as long as it’s anywhere close to somewhat balanced. But it’s not, solo females are making the best music and getting robbed to the nth degree with just 10-15% of the chart and 1 or zero in the top 10. Like Kacey, Sheryl, and others said, that ain’t right or enjoyable to listen to.
April 18, 2014 @ 5:05 pm
WOW “Canuck” what rock have you been living under?! Geez people sure do take things to heart these days. If you know Terri or are a fan of Terri’s, which you are obviously neither, then you would know how much of a kind and lighthearted person Terri Clark is. Terri is by FAR the most talented artist out there. And attention? Terri needs no attention. Her music speaks for itself as well as her career longevity. Oh and the mediocrity that you speak of, you obviously have extremely bad taste in music. Her songs actually have significance and relate to everyday people. You my friend are quite oblivious to what REAL traditional country music consist of. Oh and Terri retire? Oh HELL NO she is one BUSY woman!!! She is doing a radio show called Americas Morning Show on Nash FM 94.7 and touring her butt off. She will be making music till the day she dies and is in a rocking chair!! Oh and did I mention she’s in the process of making ANOTHER new awesome album?? So move on “Canuck” and go buy one of Terri’s soon to be 12th albums and listen to some REAL kiss ass country music!!!!
April 12, 2014 @ 5:44 am
I would love to hear more Lindi Ortega, Kelly Willis, and Sunny Sweeny on the radio. But then again, as we all know, movements like this can catch fire, and then eventually get watered down to the point we are sick of it asking for something new.
April 12, 2014 @ 8:46 am
Yeah, man…I have to agree with the comment that twits and cougars are responsible for bro country.
While they can’t express themselves in complete sentences…textspeak__
They need to quit wasting their spending power on bro country. If they would spend their money wisely on makeup, nails and lipstick….bro country would go away.
I’ve completed some reconnoitering of the bro country landscape. It is littered with twits and cougars, and they are very dumb.
Money talks. Quit buying all of it and it will go away.
I gotta get your number girl, I gotta call you up
I gotta get you ridin”™ shotgun in my truck
This little bit of you I”™ve got, it ain”™t good enough
Yeah, you got me all messed up
5-1-5-0, somebody call the po-po
I”™m goin”™ crazy, thinkin”™ ”˜bout you baby
5-1-5-0, just this side of loco
I”™m goin”™ crazy, think I love you baby
Cause I, ain”™t never felt like this, no
And I, I just need one kiss, from you
And I”™ll be good as new
If I don”™t get some of your sweet lovin”™ no tellin”™ what I might do
5-1-5-0, somebody call the po-po
Think I”™m losin”™ my mind, girl
5-1-5-0, just this side of loco
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
5-1-5-0, somebody call the po-po
I”™m goin”™ crazy, thinkin”™ ”˜bout you baby
5-1-5-0, spinnin”™ my head like a yo-yo
I”™m goin”™ crazy, think I love you baby
April 12, 2014 @ 9:13 am
“….all the tone deaf jailbait and cougars in the crowd go wild.”
April 16, 2014 @ 8:33 am
People are sheeple.
It is an art form for a herder to handle range sheep with no fence and a night corral.
A true stockman protects the flocks with a seasoned sheepdog.
Trigger has a unique mastery of language and he is humane.
April 12, 2014 @ 1:48 pm
plenty of girls on country radio…dan +shay, hunter hayes, etc, etc
April 13, 2014 @ 9:49 am
I’m not overly tomboy but I’m pretty certain I’m more masculine than rascal flatts and hunter Hayes combined.
I’m not too worried about the lean towards males in country music so much as I just miss good songwriting and actual talent.
April 12, 2014 @ 4:16 pm
I hate bro-country myself, and miss the ’90s female singers, but lets not forget that for most of the last decade, country radio was estrogen infused and wholly for women.
April 12, 2014 @ 6:18 pm
I miss the mainstream country music of the pre-bro-country era (2011 and earlier).
April 12, 2014 @ 6:55 pm
A tad off topic, but Miranda Lambert mentioned “bro country” in the latest issue of Rolling Stone. I’m a Miranda fan but her comments weren’t very impressive. She said “What are they calling, ‘bro county’?…. I love those songs, but for a minute there, it felt like girls ran the show. We have to save this whole thing we’ve made ”“ Carrie and Taylor and me.”
1. It’s sad to see her say that she loves those songs, although it may be just because she has to say it.
2. When have women run the show in Country music?
3. Why no mention of her pal, Ashley Monroe? Why no mention of Kacey Musgraves or Brandy Clark?
I’m glad she wants to get more women on country radio and less “bro-country”, but it frustrates me that she wouldn’t mention any of the other up-and-coming talented women that are far better than Taylor Swift. Are people STILL considering Swift country?
April 13, 2014 @ 11:30 am
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/miranda-lambert-gets-personal-on-platinum-20140403
1. It”™s sad to see her say that she loves those songs, although it may be just because she has to say it.
Well it’s politically correct and I don’t doubt she loves Boys Round Here. 😉
2. When have women run the show in Country music?
Never. “…for a minute there, it felt like…” 😉
3. Why no mention of her pal, Ashley Monroe? Why no mention of Kacey Musgraves or Brandy Clark?
Or Kellie Pickler (they are the 4 most critically acclaimed country women). It sounds like Miranda mentioned the only 3 solo women country radio plays as much as many men or thereabouts. It’s sad that she could only name 3 when radio should be playing many more women with great country music to #1. It’s also sad that it took about 5 years and 3 albums for radio to play Miranda’s critically acclaimed country music to #1 when they play men’s debut or close average singles to #1.
April 12, 2014 @ 8:11 pm
I agree with a lot of Noah Eaton’s comments..especially the comments about the songs Faith did..I like Faith,she is a very talented vocalist,but unfortunately most of her “radio singles” seem geared for 6 year olds,not adults..
“Breathe” was a good song though,written by another very talented female vocalist Stephanie Bentley,who in my opinion should have been a big star after her “Hopechest” CD came along..
I saw her live only once in 1997 I think and,was blown away by her performance,even got to meet her and her mom after the show..every song on her CD I mentioned is a gem,the title song and “You Were The Light Of My Life” should have been released to radio,I’m sure they would have topped the charts..
Also I feel the same about the comments about Rascall Flatts..between them and Lonestar,I started shutting off my radio more often than listening…to me,it just wasn’t country,not the type I liked listening too anyway..
I realize “country” covers a wide range of artists,but the poppy ditties they had turned me off..especially when they were repeated too often..
But I suppose I could say the same about many other artists and bands..some seem to get an inordinate amount of airtime,when they never really had a “big hit”–and I’m still hearing them years later!..one that comes to mind is “She Said Yes” by Chad Brock..seems like they are required to play that daily for whatever reason..Billy Dean’s “We Just Disagree” still gets played often..yet they wont play any of his other good songs!..on the rare occaisions I do turn on my radio,those are the songs that seem to be playing..the ones by Faith,Lonestar (Mr. Mom I cant stand!) and the songs I just mentioned previously..
While it is true the women are getting shortchanged as far as airplay,I will admit many men are too–Hank III, Shooter Jennings,Josh Turner ,and many other guys never got one spin here on country radio,despite them having equal or more talent as Toby,Tim,and all the newer “hunks” …
I like the older country artists like Merle,Jones,Cash,and some of the “newer” ones ,Alan Jackson,Doug Stone,Joe Diffie,Clint Black,Travis Tritt,John Anderson,Arron Tippon,ones that are true country…a lot of those guys aren’t heard anymore on radio unless you listen to WSM ,and it doesn’t come in good in new england very often..or if you want to pay for sattelite radio,you can hear them..seems they are determined to make you pay to hear the “good old country”..yet we have no less than 4 “classic rock” stations here..
“No one likes old country music here”,I hear some DJ’s say..well,if thats true,why is the “Sunday Morning Country Oldies” 4 hour show THE #1 rated radio show in Boston for the past 15 years?..(its on a country station that plays the other drivel the rest of the week–but they did create an “H-D radio” channel that is all classic country,I will give them credit for that–but is it fair I’ll have to buy a new radio to hear what I like,and everyone else gets to hear what they want for free?)…
It was a shame many of the other talented females of the 90’s “peak” also had their record labels demand their most “catchy” songs be the radio singles,with few exceptions..they all were more or less forced to have them put on radio,I recall some saying in interviews they had to put up a fight to get songs they believed in released, that had serious story lines,that they felt would strike a nerve with fans..(Like “Independence Day” and “How Can I Help You To Say Goodbye” for example)…both songs ended up being big hits..
With few exceptions,like Trisha’s “Like We Never Had A Broken Heart” or “Down On My Knees”,it wasn’t until I attended some concerts,or bought their CD’s,till I heard their real talent,the powerful ballads,and went “wow”–why isn’t THIS on the radio?”.instead we got to hear “She’s In Love With The Boy” ten thousand times..(not a bad song,it just got run into the ground)..
Are fans attention spans so short today that they get bored listening to a 4 minute ballad with true meaning?..
Dont get me wrong,I’m not asking for only every sad song or ballad to be played,I enjoy a happy and upbeat ditty as much as anyone else,but not several times in a few hours..why they play only radio singles,and not album cuts too,I do not understand..the rock stations play album cuts…why not country too?..
I feel it gives some fans the impression the singers are only capeable of the “lightweight” songs they hear on the radio,and they dont get taken seriously..
I know radio doesn’t want to drive listeners off by playing morose songs,but in the 90’s when they did give some songs like that some airtime,guess what?–people were touched by them,and LIKED hearing them!..imagine that…
Part of the reason country had enjoyed a resurgence in popularity was the fact the music was “real”,it dealt with everyday topics,told a story!..now its just lame “party” songs much of the time…
Back then they actually played songs you requested most of the time too..at least the independently owned station did..
I was often told by the 2 “big” stations they would “like to play that artist–but our program director makes the decisions here,and that artist isn’t on the list”–more than once a DJ would tell me on the phone “personally I LOVE that artist too–but if I played that song,I might get fired”…(thats when I started buying more CD’s!)..when a country station cant play country songs ,that was when I started shutting the radio off ..
I wish there was a “Renegade” country station up here near Boston that would play ALL the artists,not just a select few…
Nick Brown,I do remember Amy Comeau and her first debut on TNN singing “I’m Moving Out”..so sad she died so tragically, just before Christmas not long after she got her first big breaks..
Sorry for being so long winded,but the subject of radio airplay and only certain artists getting most of it has been a peeve of mine for at least the past 15 years.
.
You would think today,now that listeners can choose between listening online,downloading songs online,and even hearing them on TV via cable providers,that country radio would play anyone requested,just to remain on the air!…but I guess they must not need listeners too badly?..I often wonder where they get all the money to give away for contests,sponsor concerts,if everyone says they hate the new country and dont listen?..is it just a big write off?..
Terri–dont worry,you have a lot of loyal fans backing you up,what you said may have been intended in jest–but its a sad fact its the truth,and its too bad the bias as far as radio airtime cant be corrected…independent artists and those on big record labels should have equal airtime,so should males and females.
I’ve been a fan of yours since 1995 and met you a few times,your not only very talented,your a really nice person too..dont let the haters get you down..
April 12, 2014 @ 9:29 pm
By focusing on gender, rather than on the music, this thread misses the real problems with today’s mainstream country. Saying that the solution to “bro country” is “bra country” is like saying that the solution to white on black racism is black on white racism. It is playing identity politics, without getting to the root of the issue.
Bra country, if the suits in Nashville were to define it, would suffer from many of the same shortcomings as bro country. It would be formulaic, full of laundry lists and marketing gimmicks. It would be over-sexualized and overproduced. The singer that I’d say most exemplified the idea of “bra country” was Shania Twain. Have we forgotten the late 1990s, when “bra country” was the mainstream, and Nashville labels were cranking out one Shania clone after another until we changed the station? Be careful for what you wish for.
April 13, 2014 @ 11:38 am
Those problems could be somewhat solved by country radio playing more women releasing the best country music instead of nearly or completely ignoring them. To me bra country isn’t about women making a new kind of music to answer bro country. It’s about country radio playing the great country music they are already making and sending to radio so everyone can hear it. Sure the type, quality and diversity of music radio plays is another issue but they are closely related since women are making better, more diverse country music. I’d love to hear many more women with great country music on country radio. For the most part we’re hearing the male side of life’s stories and that’s not good or real. Who cruises and parties 24/7/365? Need to hear more country women like Miranda who aren’t pop, formulaic, full of laundry lists, marketing gimmicks, over-sexualized, or overproduced. And sure don’t want Nashville suits defining or dictating music.
April 13, 2014 @ 6:09 pm
Chris, I agree, especially with “sure don”™t want Nashville suits defining or dictating music”. I would like my favorite female country artists to get more airplay.
But the problem is that the suits are deciding what artists get signed to contracts, what music gets released, and what gets played on the radio. And if they start getting feedback from listeners that they want more bra country, they will produce bra country which is just the female equivalent of bro country. They will flood the airwaves with overproduced Shania-esque garbage just like they did in the late 1990s.
I agree 100% that talented female country artists should get more attention, but I’m thinking that “bra country” is the wrong message to send to an industry that’s making big bucks on bro country.
April 13, 2014 @ 6:46 pm
I hear you man/woman, Shania Twain was the final nail on the coffin for me. How the hell was she country? I hated everything about her. The way they capitalized on her beauty. The fact that was presented as such a great vocalist. SHE CAN’T SING!!! OK am done.
April 13, 2014 @ 12:27 am
After listening to Katie Melua, Tammy, and Loretta recently, I have come to the conclusion that Sheryl Crow should be slapped.
I know, Katie Melua ain’t country. Yet,, she is a talent far too deep for current American tastes.
Real sad. Bra Country.
What have we become?
April 13, 2014 @ 11:40 am
She should be slapped because she wants country radio to play more women/better music or because you don’t like her music?
April 13, 2014 @ 12:15 pm
“Bra Country” to me sounds like she’s barking up the wrong tree. “Bro” and “Bra” to me fits in with the current country crap. It does not apply to real country.
I think she is a good singer, although I feel her music is generally sterile, like “today’s country” is.
I would be curious to know what her idea of “better music” is. If it’s anything to do with “bro” or “bra”, then let’s slap her.
April 13, 2014 @ 6:14 pm
The person who hilariously coined “bro country” used it to describe the generic male pop/rap party songs. Maybe “bra country” applies to ALL female country, and the person who coined it (Terri Clark) said it was a flippant joke and play on the words “bro country.” So it’s just a fun term to describe female country and people like what they like within that.
Maybe this is a hint about the kind of country Sheryl likes:
https://twitter.com/SherylCrow/status/453020984426393601
On the male side she said Dierks Bentley’s I Hold On was her favorite song on radio.
April 13, 2014 @ 8:29 am
Come on, it’s so simple.
Money talks.
When the buying power stops, the cash cow will dry up.
Garbage music for tweens, ‘twits and cougars’ will go away when they quit throwing their good money at it.
This demographic continues to support the most unintelligent songs ever crafted.
The music sucks and the artists know it. They are in a desert of creativity.
They cannot get off of this gerbil wheel until the cash cow dries up.
The only way to change the demographic is to give us something authentic and not hybrid. Until WOMEN quit supporting sappy truck ballads with emotional spending….it will continue.
It takes a village to stop this gerbil wheel of gimmickrey.
April 13, 2014 @ 1:04 pm
Heck ya – I agree with Terri all the way on this one!
The last five or so years have definitely gone more to the guys than the women and there are so many talented women artists out there that need to be heard!
Terri herself is a prime example as Terri has put out some pretty good albums and music that has done well in Canada but is barely ever heard here in the US. Something wrong with this!
Artist such as Sherrie Austin (Circus Girl – 2011), Lori Morgan, Reba, Faith Hill, as well as some new comers on the block such as Morgan Frazier and Dee Hilligoss come to mind who are all very talented and need to be heard.
A lot of country music’s past is built upon women performers such as Patty Loveless, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette and many others.
In today’s world it seems that as the end customer you need to seek out the new music as broadcast radio just keeps playing the same thing over and over again and while a lot of the music from the guys is great too – the women need some equal air time as this is what it is all about!
Go Terri and thank you for starting this!
April 15, 2014 @ 9:31 am
Hey Sheryl Crow, since when did liberal feminists start wearing bras???
August 13, 2022 @ 7:53 am
Not surprising that this movement went nowhere.
It was just bro-country by women. It lasted as long as XXX!