Well since I'm in the South, and that means a lot of country music, let's discuss one of the trending issues in country music today: women. This article touches on one of the most controversial statements that points out the problem: radio executive Keith Hill recently made a comment on air about male country artists being the 'lettuce' of country music, and women artists being the 'tomatoes' of this country music salad. The incident has since been known as #saladgate, and the main point of Hill's argument was that "if you want to make ratings in country radio, take females out".
Alright, sure, take all the most attractive artists in country music off the stage, who have a tendency to sing about more in-depth material. Good idea. Now, clearly, the guy is an idiot. But what he does a good job of pointing out is the struggle that female artists in country music face daily, which is surprising considering that 52% of country music fans are female, according to Billboard.com. However, the industry is not representative. In the music industry, less than 5% of producers or sound engineers are women. Especially at the decision-making level, men dominate the industry: they are the label executives and radio program directors. So then where does this leave women? How do we make progress here?
Call your local station and request songs by female artists- it doesn't have to be any artist in particular or any song, just let them know that you want to be heard, and you want to hear them!
Show your support by shelling out $12 (that's less than anything these days) for a t-shirt supporting the cause and designed by Martina McBride to support her charity, Team Martina, which aims to make the world a better place through volunteerism and the healing power of music. Ladies can show off their tomato pride, and men can showcase their tomato love. The shirts sold out the first time but can be pre-ordered for round two!
If you really feel passionate about it, write to the labels in Nashville. They have the power, and if enough people do it, they'll listen.
Get even more inspired by watching one of my favorite new duos sing their stance on the male country music world: