Female Country Singers Get Extra Spins on SiriusXM

Three times an hour, from Monday through Sunday, SiriusXM's The Highway channel will introduce what it calls Fresh Female Voices, little-known records by women with and without record deals. It's part of a platform-wide music-discovery initiative taking place on the subscription-based broadcast service this week.

"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 major-label acts Leah Turner and Kelleigh Bannen, as well as singers who've achieved some industry renown, such as Pistol Annies member Angaleena Presley and Brandy Clark. Small-label or independent acts such as Sunny Sweeney, Risa Binder and Allison Veltz will be played. Marks also has picked records by outside-the-box acts, namely former The Voice runner-up Dia Frampton and Swedish folk band First Aid Kit, who he feels fit the format.

John Marks

The Fresh Female Voices programming will add approximately 200 spins for women beyond what singers like Lambert and Carrie Underwood might usually get. Marks will monitor sales data, social-media activity and music-streaming statistics for signs of potential breakout records.

USA Today reports no female act had a solo record in the top 30 of its weekly Country airplay chart.

None ranks among the 10 most-played 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.