Beyoncé has a hit country song out in “Texas Hold ‘Em,” but it’s caused controversy in the country music radio scene. Before Beyoncé, just seven Black women have appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in the entire history of the chart, and radio airplay remains critical for the success of a country song. There has been resistance in playing Beyoncé, best known as a pop act, on country stations, and it’s increasing scrutiny of the radio format. From 2002 to 2023, songs by white artists averaged 96.5 percent of country radio airplay, and of the remaining 3.5 percent of radio plays, three artists — Darius Rucker, Kane Brown and Jimmie Allen — account for 96 percent of the plays.
The Capitol Punishment Podcast
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