CMT Equal Play

Equal play does not exist for women and historically excluded artists in country music.

Their powerful voices and legendary songs have influenced and defined country music. Yet they are not played, streamed, toured, signed or awarded at a level they  deserve. It’s time for us to take action, dramatically increase representation in country music and create an equal playing field.

It's time to hear more diverse voices.

Join CMT as we bring together fans, artists, and industry leaders to commit to create equal opportunities for all voices in country music.

Facts

84% of all country radio listeners want equal play for female artists
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Only 16% of artists were female across the top country songs
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Our Commitment

We kicked off Equal Play in 2020 with three bold commitments for parity:

  • CMT Instituted 50/50 play for female artists across CMT and CMT Music channels, effective January 2020.
  • CMT Radio Live pledged equal play, doubling airplay for female artists with its own 50% female playlist.
  • CMT After MidNite debuted “CMT next Women of Country: Artist of the Month,” an on-air feature that directly impacts charting, allowing CMT one additional spin per week for female artists on 230+ stations nationally syndicated by iHeartRadio’s Premiere Networks.

A staunch advocate for country music’s female artists, CMT first launched its “Next Women of Country” campaign in 2013 as a substantial effort to support and expose developing female talent, both signed and unsigned, in a male-dominated format. The initiative has grown to include various digital series, six national tours and more. This year’s 2022 class marks a total of 95 female acts that have been named as part of the program.

Press

For media inquiries and more information, please contact us.

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