It’s pretty rare that the CMA nominations garner much attention outside of the country music press, but the always excellent Whitney Pastorek at Entertainment Weekly has a lengthy article trying to rationalize the exclusion of Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift from the Entertainer category.
It’s amazing that in a year where a record was set for the most nominations by a female artist, there can still be a valid accusation of gender bias among the nominations. Women have been poorly represented in the Entertainer category for pretty much the entire history of the CMA Awards. Even when you include duos or groups with female members, there have never been more than two out of five nominees that are women.
Never. Think about that for a minute. If this category’s nominees are to be considered reliable, the CMA is essentially saying that there has never been a time in the past 44 years that more than two of the genre’s top five acts have been female, and in the past decade, there’s never been more than one.
Why is this coming to a head this year, when it’s been a problem all along? Because there is no rational argument that exists, in this era of decreased record sales and economic downturn, for the exclusion of Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift from this category. Ironically, the inclusion of another female artist – Miranda Lambert – makes the oversight even more obvious. By any historical standard for this category, Lambert would be jockeying for fourth or fifth place, at best.
With all due respect to Brad Paisley and Keith Urban, their success this year would not get them into this category if they were women. Yet two women who have far exceeded them this year by every measurable standard, two women who are more immediately recognizable and widely beloved than Paisley and Urban have ever been, are left off of the list.
There’s a bias here, and it’s hurting the credibility of the CMA. How is it possible that acts long past their prime, like Brooks & Dunn or Vince Gill, were still getting Entertainer nominations regularly, yet superstars like Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Taylor Swift only made the cut once? Has there truly been no woman besides Reba McEntire in the last 25 years who has been one of the five top entertainers more than once?
Even if you strain your reason to justify Swift’s exclusion because she was a little less visible during the last three months of the eligibility period, the Underwood snub is the most blatantly unfair this category has seen since the days of Shania Twain, who somehow only earned one nomination while she was absolutely destroying the competition at an international level that has never been matched.
Perhaps the voting methodology of the CMA awards, which allows voters to pick up to five nominees in each category, has exacerbated the “token female” dilemma. I don’t know, and I really don’t care. Because in an era where even the ACM Awards are showing better taste than the CMA’s, the flagship organization of country music needs to address its female trouble while it still has a single shred of credibility left.
I think Brad got in partly because he hasn’t won Entertainer yet (he should, in my view, have multiple Entertainer trophies by now, if only the CMA voters didn’t have such tunnel vision about Chesney’s stadium tour for years), and on the basis of his career accomplishments. What put Brad over the top, in my view, is the leadership role he took in bringing media attention to the Nashville floods when the mainstream media didn’t seem too interested in it. He was the face of the Opry during that time, and with his own gear submerged only a couple of weeks before he was set to head out on tour, he had a lot to discuss.
I struggle to make a case for Keith, although I actually think he may be the most compelling live act among the nominees. But I will point to his terrific performance of “Tumblin’ Dice” on Jimmy Fallon’s show (featuring the women of LBT, Sarah Buxton, Tony Brown, and Chuck Leavell, that he turned into a tribute to Nashville, as well as his CMA Fest moment with his performance of “A Little Help From My Friends,” also in tribute to Nashville’s recovery. I think those generated a lot of good will for him among voters.
It’s strange. Carrie’s Entertainer nomination bid got pipped on one hand by two veterans benefiting from career accomplishments and general good will, and by three newbies having breakthrough years on the other hand. I don’t see a way to make an intellectually consistent argument that excludes Carrie from the Entertainer nominees when one looks at the five who did get voted in. To the extent that sales and airplay numbers should matter (my view: I think they can provide a minimum bar, but shouldn’t count beyond that), they are in Carrie’s favor. My impression is that reviews of Carrie’s tour have pointed out not only her excellent vocal performances, but her much improved stage presence and production, as well. So that should have worked in her favor.
Her music lately hasn’t been as well-received critically, I suppose, but the reviews have been no worse (and sometimes have been better) than Lady Antebellum and Keith Urban’s recorded music (and I think that, for better and worse, Carrie has taken more chances than either lately). And the CMA nominated her for Album of the Year, seeming to endorse the album. The Pastorek article covers it: from delivering the occasional but strong live tribute to a country classic to performing her own music in various high-profile settings, Carrie seems to have done everything possible to represent country music as well and as widely as she can in keeping with the CMA’s standards for Entertainer of the Year. Yet that doesn’t seem to be enough for the CMA voters.
I will say, though, that Carrie is probably the act of the moment with the largest perceived gap between her talent and the quality of her music. Maybe the bar seems to be different from her because the widespread belief is that she can do much better and the hope is that she will. Perhaps that is what is preventing her from capturing the imagination and good will of CMA voters to the extent that other artists are.
Certainly a well thought out and thorough analysis of Carrie’s nomination oversight. Critics with neg views of the noms are citing Taylor and Carrie , but in the overview of this action , it’s also a real slap to ALL the artists who had headlining tours in the eligibility period and who will have in the future – the Entertainer award was the one award singers worked up too and strived for and if they won it was a big boost to their tour – In these bad economic times artists need a boost with these big tours like Tim McGraw who give Lady A a chance
to open for him and instead they reward Lady A with the Entertainer nom. An artist who has huge tours with opening acts has proven that they are Entertainers or they wouldn’t have a tour if they couldn’t sell tickets. I believe that that’s what the award is about. If you want an award for the latest big act to break onto the scene who hasn’t had the headline touring experience, then make a new award, just don’t suddenly exclude the first rate country music warriors who are out there entertaining the country music fans!
The CMA Awards are not looking very credible again this year and really for the last few years. With the Taylor take over last year and the snub of Carrie Underwood who has probably been the best representative of country music for the last 5 years. Then they use Carrie Underwood as host for better ratings on their awards show. It is a mind boggle.
I agree about Underwood, but the issue here is bigger than just her. It’s a pattern of women being underrepresented in the big race.
…this year’s eoty-award is possibly one of the most tainted awards in history. and history isn’t short of tainted awards. whoever’s going to win it, can not be truly joyous about this success. it is even more unfortunate, since there’s no doubt about the outstanding quality of the nominees. the cma seems to be one of the few bodies, where the old rule: one might be an idiot but together they are genius – is turned up-side down every once in a while.
that winner’s speech might be quite a challenge for the nominated artists’ pr-people. then again, given the state of the world in general – it ain’t even a storm in a tea cup.
Kevin: I realized after I had posted that I hadn’t addressed the central topic of your post — apologies for that. I just went off on a tangent thinking about Brad and Keith’s place in the category, and the Nashville floods came to mind. We don’t really have a current female artist equivalent delivering that level of attention to what went on in Nashville, do we?
To finally address your central point: I think CMA voters are mostly willing to let their males coast by based on career accomplishments, but demand undeniable career narratives (like that of a breakthrough, or a successful return to one’s roots) from their females to garner the same level of awards attention. It is hard to maintain a voting body’s attention with one career narrative for more than a year, because the voting body’s attention is bound to wander and to move on to the next big thing (especially these days, in which the cycle of star creation and teardown is moving faster than ever). That is why, I think, you see perennial male nominees in the Entertainer category and only the occasional female (with the occasional female nominee generally failing to get consecutive nominations in the category).
This merely reflects the attitude that the country industry at large has taken toward its females. After all, country radio leaves only a few slots for women on country radio and has failed to support songs from non-core female artists even if callout has been strong for them (examples: Trisha Yearwood’s “Heaven, Heartache & the Power of Love” consistently tested as a top-10 song, but only barely made the top-20, and Lee Ann Womack’s “Last Call” tested as a top-5 song, but failed to make the top-10 at counry radio). Country media in general are much more quick to tear down the ladies (the Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, etc.) while giving a pass to its men for their transgressions (Toby Keith has gotten away with rank misogyny and Troy Gentry with committing a crime and then lying about it).
With all that in mind, I think the surprise is more that the ACMs have recently turned things in favor of the ladies than that the more staid CMAs continue to show a gender bias. It should be noted that the ACMs had to lean somewhat on fan votes to do so.
Dear CMA,
Have you count how much articles around the net or media are talking and slamming about CMA EOTY now? Are you still sleeping?
Are you still drinking beer in the bar?
Are you still hanging around like a fool?
Thanks Kevin for your article addressing the problem with women not being recognized in country in general and the snub once again of Carrie Underwood and even Taylor Swift to a certain extent. But yes, Carrie’s snub is the the most blatant. There are so many things wrong with what happened in that category, that it is difficult to even know how to mention them all.
It is inexcusable that neither of the two biggest women in country right now, especially Carrie with her big production tour lasting from Jan – Dec and her back to back #1 hits, her exposure in most every type of media, etc, etc, etc, was left out of the mix so as to possibly gain maybe more ratings for throwing in a few nominees that were basically unknown by most of the general public until 6 months ago just because they have a little buzz right now.
But this is not just about Miranda or any one female, even if Carrie was a glaring snub. It is about the lack of respect given to women in the country industry in general. Is it like against the CMA sacred rules to nominate 3 women in that category. Heaven forbid we rock the boat.
Buzz used to not be the standard for getting a nomination in that category but seems to be the standard right now, along with ratings. Look at Kenny versus what is going on now. Kenny used to win yearly, not because he had this short term buzz but because of his accomplishments in touring (entertaining in other words).
How do two of the artists/groups that have never had a headlining tour, get a nomination for EOTY is my question? I am clueless. But this thing about the CMAs thinking they can’t nominate over one female solo artist is even a bigger problem. They are determined to stick with the “boys” club and throw in their token female. And this year they decided to do it with a female that yes it very talented, but in my opinion not quite yet EOTY material when compared to other females in the country industry at this moment, based on her lack of headlining, lack of exposure in any other type of media, and lack of creditials to date – or until the CMAs so nicely presented her with 9 nominations for whatever reason that almost seemed to come out of nowhere. But this is not to say she does not have talent, because she does, but frankly we have had little exposure to it to date and to me, that is where the problem lies in nominating this particular female for EOTY over some of the other ladies, just because the CMAs happen to like her personally.
Again Kevin, thank you for the article because many writers are feeling the same way about women artists in the country industry and starting to write about it also.
This is an excellent post. I don’t think anyone can dispute that the larger trend in play.
One thing I will say is I’m starting to cobble together how Carrie (and, to a lesser extent, Taylor) may have simply fallen through the category’s cracks this year. It comes down to two Urban-Paisley things:
1) There seems to have been a serious push to reward fresh faces – and by some measure, Keith Urban and Brad Paisley still kind of count. We’re thinking in terms of nominations here, but Urban has only won once compared to, say, Chesney’s four, and Paisley still has yet to win.
2) I had forgotten about Paisley’s and Urban’s flood relief stuff, but I would bet that made a renewed impression in voters’ minds and was all over the CMA mail-outs.
Combine those with the fact that everyone suddenly became aware that Miranda Lambert is a very good artist, and that Lady A and ZBB probably were the two most prominent acts in country this past year, and it kind of makes sense, even if isn’t fair. Those three acts got rewarded for their climb; Carrie Underwood’s been sitting comfortably up there for a while now, so in a way, her success is easier to take for granted.
…But of course, it might not be if she wasn’t a woman.
And Brian Mansfield now has his own good theory up:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2010/09/why-carrie-underwood-didnt-get-an-entertainer-of-the-year-nod-from-the-cma/1
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill had a whole concert for the flood relief and he didn’t get a nom
I agree that something’s not right about the females not getting more than one EOTY nom a year but it goes to the same point that Radio puts out: that not many of the average country music fans (women aged 18-35) like to listen to or watch female country singers.
Not that I agree with that ‘perception,’ mind you. I’m just pointing it out.
I think that Brian Mansfield’s thoughts are probably the most ‘spot-on’ reason as any so far.
The thing is that, as others have pointed out, females have dominated more than usual both in sales and charts in the last year, which makes me wonder if the 18-30 demographic is more willing to listen to female artists than people think.
Really, Lady A is the nomination that surprised me the most anyway.
Radner,
I don’t know if the flood relief thing is a reason for the snubs, but the fact that McGraw had a benefit concert doesn’t invalidate the theory. McGraw has never gotten much attention from the CMA voters.
Leeann,
I know. It’s just a few ‘gatekeepers’ deciding what they think their audience does or doesn’t want to hear. That’s all. In my opinion there should be a 50-50 split (if the music allows for this).
I agree that something’s not right about the females not getting more than one EOTY nom a year but it goes to the same point that Radio puts out: that not many of the average country music fans (women aged 18-35) like to listen to or watch female country singers.
Yet women are more commercially successful, which means more the buying public likes them more. Taylor had Fearless on top for almost 2 years. Carrie’s PO is nearing 2x platinum. Carrie has her BB top 2 hits streak alive and well since JTTW. Miranda and Reba got four weeks at #1 each. And even with a relatively “quiet” year, Taylor’s concerts have probably sold more than all the 5 EOTY nominees combined.
Even if you go back, as Kevin pointed out, I don’t think the combination of Chesney, Brad and Keith can even outdo what Shania did all by herself. She smashed her competition over and over, and she wasn’t even satisfied when they’re already little bits of pieces and smashed them over and over still.
I don’t think the viewers/listeners/spending public don’t like women. I think that is just a PERCEPTION the CMA’s are spreading around for them to keep to continue justifying the old boys club.
Jon,
I was just stating what the constant reason radio gives out for not playing more female or ‘girl singer’ songs. Because some of them think that ‘girl singers’ don’t appeal to that mostly female target audience…
I agree that something’s not right about the females not getting more than one EOTY nom a year but it goes to the same point that Radio puts out: that not many of the average country music fans (women aged 18-35) like to listen to or watch female country singers.
I don’t think you have the age group quite right. I’m pretty sure programmers consider the core demo of country radio to be women between the ages of 30-44, or 35-44, and that is the group assumed to prefer hearing male country singers to female country singers. That is why soccer moms have been blamed for the sippycup-type music coming from the pretty boys of country. I can find articles by radio consultants about this, but I don’t have them handy at the moment.
From what I have seen from phone callout charts over the last few years, it does seem to me that songs sung by females tend to inspire higher passion but also higher fatigue/burn. But that hasn’t prevented Carrie and Reba from a pretty consistent record of singles that research very, very well (unsurprisingly, Taylor is more polarizing. Miranda and Sugarland have been hit or miss). In any case, phone callout tends to reflect the tastes of the more musically conservative, and shouldn’t be considered in a vacuum.
It is only more recently that country radio has started catering to the younger demo (say, the 18-24 age group). That movement (at least in its current iteration) was jumpstarted by Carrie Underwood bringing over fans from American Idol before really taking flight with web-savvy artists Taylor Swift and now, acts like Lady Antebellum. I should note that Rascal Flatts also had a lot of younger fans during its surge, and that was before the American Idol effect.
Catering to the younger demo has actually resulted in more female acts being given a chance, although it has tended to be country-pop artists favored because that is what the younger demo is assumed to want. This is why the idea of splitting the country format into contemporary and traditional stations has gained traction in the last few years. Programmers seem to be finding it increasingly difficult to hang on to listeners when some of them are finding Alan Jackson or George Strait to be too boring/twangy and others can’t stand another minute of Rascal Flatts or Taylor Swift.
On the subject of Miranda Lambert and her recent success….Isnt it fair to say that Trisha Yearwood,Martina McBride and even Patty Loveless all at their peaks were being far more successful than she is now? Trisha Yearwood in 1997 had a album go double platnium within months of it’s release a string of top 2 singles, a song that was charting worldwide and performing to a much larger audience? Yet if memory serves me right, NO females were even nominated in EOTY in 1997?
If the CMA’s wanted publicity well now they are getting it. Too bad for them that it portrays them as a sexist organization or as I saw earlier
CMA= Chauvinistic Male Association
I think they need to push themselves out of the 19th century and into the 21st century! Woman can be just as good as the men to gentleman!!!
I don’t really agree with this whole thing about woman wanting male country singers over female ones since it is females who lead in Album, Ticket and Singles sales and I am sorry it is not men who are driving those sales it is women. I was listening to the radio yesterday morning and someone called in to ask about the CMA nominations and the dj’s were just dumb founded as to why Carrie didn’t receive a nomination. They said they expected her to not only get the nomination but win by a landslide. They also talked about how the female artists are the most requested on their station and how they tend to play Carrie the most in a day since they get complaints if she isn’t played enough and she is played more than any other artist on their radio by far. We talk about men being played more than females on country radio and yes that is true but it is also because we have more men in this genre of music but the biggest and most powerful artist on radio today is a female and I don’t believe any of the guys can come close to touching Carrie on radio right now. People ask why Carrie is played the most out of any artist well it is because she brings in listeners and every radio station wants to have increases in radio.
I don’t think there were many females deserving of an EOTY nomination this year. I’m hard pressed to think of a decent album released by a female artist this year.
http://www.allaccess.com/rumbles-from-the-row/archive/7773/lots-of-people-can-afford-to-quit
Here is an article from Nashville based Jimmy Carter on All Access and I think in this quote he clearly displays his thoughts on the CMA EOTY nominations.
“STILL…..Go to a show folks…Darius, Jason, Taylor and Carrie have killer shows. Taylor and Carrie SHOULD be in that top 5. Makes the business look weird from the outside.
Better, figure out a way to make the Junior and Senior-class acts relevant while staying cool with the Freshman class … Freshman DON’T get Senior class honors. They have not EARNED them…”
He compares it to high school. Freshman (Lady A, ZBB, and Miranda) aren’t yet putting up the numbers to play with the big boys ( the Seniors) which include Tim and Taylor and Carrie and Brad and Keith to be given the honors that go with making it to that level. Kindo of like how freshman don’t get the the same privilages as Seniors in high school.
I don’t think there were many females deserving of an EOTY nomination this year. I’m hard pressed to think of a decent album released by a female artist this year.
Is album the only requirement to merit an EOTY nomination? Isn’t there an Album of the Year award for that?
No, it’s not the only requirement, but why should someone who hasn’t put out a good album be considered for Entertainer of the Year?
Razor X: In your opinion it wasn’t a good album.
Why should somebody who can’t headline a tour or sell a million records be able to be nominated for EOTY?
Razor X: In your opinion it wasn’t a good album.
What wasn’t?
^^ The albums you didn’t like. But maybe in others opinions they liked an album you didn’t.
“Trisha Yearwood in 1997 had a album go double platnium within months of it’s release”
It’s really not fair to compare album sales of today to those of the nineties. Almost nobody is going double platinum anymore. That has a lot more to do with the music business changing than anything else.
WORD to this article! It’s so very true.
but why should someone who hasn’t put out a good album be considered for Entertainer of the Year?
Did all EOTY nominees had fantastic albums they year/s they were nominated (or won)? Keith’s last album was blah. So was Lady A’s. Kenny’s been coasting on the same sound but apparently it’s his stadium tours that are so noteworthy for EOTY awards.
If albums are such a huge consideration, then AOTY nominees = EOTY nominees.
If men can get away with mediocre albums, why not women? Or in your case, why not Carrie?
personally I don’t like carrie, taylor or miranda cause none of them sing real country music , the stuff they sings stinks , the fact is if a singer like Leeann womack who sings real country puts out a single it is ignored and far as miranda geting the nominations and being desrving of them that is 2 totally different subjects,and then 2 nominate blake , who before he hooked up with miranda ,nobody didn’t even know who he was , wonder when they get married is he gonna change his name to mr, blake lambert since miranda is in control of his career as well as hers, cause if they break up he will go back to being a nobody,you know it is kinda sad that you only get noticed because of the one you are with and not own your own talent
A few weeks ago in the Female vocalist thread people were saying that Carrie Underwood was going to WIN CMA EOTY. They were just so sure of a win that they didn’t even think for a minute that she first had to be nominated. I asked the question there. How can you be so sure of a win when it isn’t fan voted? and How can you be so sure that she can win both the ACM’s and the CMA’s EOTY in one year when Taylor who had done huge things couldn’t even do it? I also said that though she won at the ACM’s in a mostly fan voted category she might have lost the industry votes by a landslide and with the omission of the CMA nomination I don’t think Carrie won the ACM member vote for EOTY, the fans pushed her to the win. So, simply because she won at the ACM’s never meant that she’d even be nominated for the CMA’s.
With that said, say if Carrie had been nominated for EOTY. It still would have been an uproar in November when she didn’t win (because all her fans said she was winning and they would not accept a loss in November but now, they’d kill for a mere nomination) because I can assure you that Carrie wasn’t going to win so this way, at least by November the fans will be over it.
BTW, Keith Urban made his first appearance on the Forbes 100 list this year so he likely did something this year. Perhaps it just wasn’t as hyped as the younger ladies but Keith did do stuff.
as I mentioned Keith was only a hand full of Country artists who made the forbes 100 list. Kenny, Taylor, Toby Keith and Rascall Flatt’s are the others. Taylor topped the list for country acts.
Willis – how much does Forbes pay you?
I think a case could’ve been made for a Trisha Yearwood Entertainer nomination in 1998, but Shania Twain didn’t even get one that year, or Faith Hill, for that matter.
You know what’s a really short list that hasn’t been added to since 1985? A woman getting a second Entertainer of the Year nomination. All of the women who were multiple nominees:
Reba McEntire – 10 nominations (1985-1989, 1991-1995)
Barbara Mandrell – 6 nominations (1979-1984)
Loretta Lynn – 5 nominations (1991-1995)
Dolly Parton – 3 nominations (1976-1978)
Crystal Gayle – 2 nominations (1978-1979)
Women with just one nomination:
– Miranda Lambert (2010)
– Taylor Swift (2009)
– Faith Hill (2000)
– Shania Twain (1999)
– Kathy Mattea (1990)
– Olivia Newton-John (1974)
Jon, no need to be a smarty pants. I was merely using the forbes lists because income is an indicator of how big an artist truly was. Simply because an artist is hyped in the media doesn’t mean they are all the huge in overall entertainment.
“Really, Lady A is the nomination that surprised me the most anyway.”
I wasn’t expecting them to be nominated in this category, but I think their international success may have been a factor, as part of the criteria involves representing country music.
. I was merely using the forbes lists because income is an indicator of how big an artist truly was. Simply because an artist is hyped in the media doesn’t mean they are all the huge in overall entertainment.
Uh huh, and if your reasoning that you cannot be EOTY because you didn’t earn big enough on the Forbes List, then why didn’t the top 5 country acts on your precious Forbes list make the EOTY nominees then? Should be an easy job for voters to do the EOTY nominees if there’s only one list to look at.
And if you’re ragging on Carrie that she doesn’t deserve an EOTY nomination because she’s not on your precious list and it means she didn’t earn enough, and only got by by massive hype, then you can say the same, and a thousand times more at that, for Miranda Lambert, Lady A, and ZBB. These three acts got in on EOTY mostly due to massive hype and recognition (deserved or otherwise) but not much about $$$. Where are these three on the list? Top 20? Top 50? Top 1000? But you just seem too happy to shove the Forbes list as a disqualification for Carrie alone. Seems to me you are the smarty pants, with not enough smarty though.
Like the famed emperor of fairy tale lore, I think he’s short the pants, too.
Kevin, you have taken the words out of my mouth. Carrie Underwood has had the year of her life, and it’s shocking as to how the CMAs haven’t included her in the list.
Whether it’s the sexist bastards that still believe that Country music will forever be a “males union” in the CMAs that has destroyed Carrie’s much-deserved WIN in this category this year, or whether it’s people that are biased towards more “twangier” acts, Carrie deserved the nod.
I think it’s hysterical how Carrie’s snub has been getting some of the biggest media outbreak of the week, while Miranda’s record-setting nods has been paling in comparison to the bonehead move. I’m very happy that Carrie’s getting this media support because the CMAs obviously don’t want to give it to her.
I’m just happy that Carrie is in Canada with her new husband where she can try and escape this madness and accept the mass support she’s receiving from across the country and other parts of the globe. She deserves so much more than what the absent-minded lunatics at the CMAs have to “give” to her.
I agree with Jimmy Carter’s comments from Nashville:
“The Carrie Underwood thing is maybe more odd.. What more could you do in a year? Cover of everything, Super Bowl Anthem, #1 singles … good sales, CD and concert. And not in the top five … outrageous!
No Jason Aldean? He is future stadium-act material. Equally outrageous.
Politics, but what kind in play here? Not Old School, but what is it? Taylor was over-played … Carrie was maybe a little overexposed on radio, for sure. Aldean, underexposed!”
Six million for the CMA Musicfest show. The first hour was strong … I grew weary around the hour-twenty point after Carrie’s second appearance. Not sure why. Kid Rock on a Wednesday night may not be the best musical programming.
NY State Fair posting guarantees for concerts this year … Aerosmith got a million. Tim McGraw $500,000 … Rascal Flatts $602,500 … They got Lady A: $75,000!!!!!!
Back to the awards show, STILL…..Go to a show folks…Darius, Jason, Taylor and Carrie have killer shows. Taylor and Carrie SHOULD be in that top 5. Makes the business look weird from the outside.
“Better, figure out a way to make the Junior and Senior-class acts relevant while staying cool with the Freshman class … Freshman DON’T get Senior class honors. They have not EARNED them…”
If men can get away with mediocre albums, why not women? Or in your case, why not Carrie?
Why should anybody get away with mediocre albums? That’s my whole point. I don’t understand the need to keep track of how many females are nominated each year. I’d be happy if we could just get five solid, worthy nominees, whether they are male or female. When was the last time that happened?
I think the Mansfield article does a good job of summing up the entire situation. We all could try to point out why Underwood got snubbed, but I think it often comes down to the whims of the academy. Sometimes it’s bloc voting from labels, other times it’s a backlash against another artist (in this case, Carrie). I do think she’s released some lightweight material this year, but she’s certainly not the only one doing so (see Paisley, Strait, etc.) But, I think a lot of times, it boils down to the Academy trying to make a statement. The past few years, most of the big touring acts have been releasing music that is not up to par with their previous standards. I think it’s very conceivable that an anti-incumbent philosophy took place, and led to the three new nominees in the entertainer category.
Now, the question is…is it right? Or, more importantly, does it matter? Granted, I personally like seeing the new faces, and think they’re deserving…but, this is one of the reasons why I don’t take these types of award shows seriously. The measuring stick that voters use is more qualitative than quantitative when it comes to evaluating the criteria for an artist, and too often outside factors enter into the voters’ minds that reflect their decisions. Sometimes, I think voters try to come up with various reasons to try to reward their favorite artist (chesney with his touring, Urban with his live performances, Swift with her album sales, etc.) If the touring criteria mattered this year, then Strait would be nominated, as I believe he grossed the most out of any country artist touring this year. But, I don’t think every voter uses the same criteria to vote in every single year. Sometimes artists just generate a buzz about them, and I think voters either want to jump on the bandwagon, or jump off.
That’s not to say that I think voters should make their decision solely on touring numbers or album sales. The quality of an artist’s music should play a role in this, and different voters have different tastes. But, all in all, I think that as long as you have a group of people voting based on opinion, you’re going to have artists that are snubbed and fans that are unhappy.
As for the issues regarding women being nominated for entertainer of the year, I do agree there is a troubling trend. I knew Shania Twain had her issues with the CMAs, but I never knew she was only nominated once for entertainer. Perhaps Shania, Faith, Taylor, and Carrie can look at pop crossover as a reason for backlash by the CMAs, but it doesn’t explain the academy’s nominations from the 60s to the mid 90s. It’s certainly an interesting conumdrum, particularly in recent years.
This article makes an excellent argument. Nominating Keith Urban was already a stretch to begin with, but it is ridiculous when you compare his success over the past year with that of Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift. It’s unbelievable that Carrie has never gotten a single Entertainer nomination from the CMAs. She deserved it last year as well as these year. She is WAY overdue. It’s especially odd when you consider that she has as great, or greater, commercial success than either Taylor or Miranda (both of whom have been nominated).
(I was sure that they Taylor-haters would have a fit over some of the points made in this article)
Another radio dj on a major station gave another reason for Carrie and Taylor being left off is that they wanted to stack the decks in Brad’s favor so he would win EOTY. They knew that if Carrie or Taylor were on the ballot Brad would lose and by stacking him against nominees who aren’t as strong as him they could get him the win. He asked that his name or station wasn’t made public since he is a voting member but that is what he told a caller into his show.
I personally can’t come to any reason as to why Carrie and Taylor were left off the ballot. I don’t think the CMA’s are ever going to come out and say why. Were just going to be able to keep guessing as to why but never truly know why.
Another radio dj on a major station gave another reason for Carrie and Taylor being left off is that they wanted to stack the decks in Brad’s favor so he would win EOTY.
Who wants to stack the decks in favor of Paisley and why would they want to do that?
I don’t know why but that is what a radio dj on XM radio said. I didn’t say it was right I just said that is what he believed.
It crossed my mind that block voting at BMG might have led to this, but I can’t imagine that they’d vote for acts on different labels and leave off one of their own, just to clear the field for Paisley.
But Paisley couldn’t have asked for a better chance to win. He still might not win anyway. I thought he was a shoo-in last year b/c of the overdue factor, and Taylor Swift won. I could see Lady Antebellum or Miranda Lambert taking the prize just as easily as Paisley, though perhaps his position as the only traditionalist in the running this time will give him an extra edge.
Kayla…that thought crossed my mind too. Interestingly enough, Brad and Carrie are on the same record label (Arista Nashville), so I guess it’s possible that the label voted for Paisley and ignored Underwood. But, honestly…I don’t think that makes too much sense. I can’t see any legitimate record company not voting for their cash cow who sells platinum, so they can give an award to another artist that doesn’t make them as much money. I’m not trying to rip on the voter or radio DJ who claims this…but that just doesn’t make fiscal sense for any label, especially when album sales are so low. And I can’t see why any other record label bloc would want to “stack the deck in favor of Paisley.” The guy’s theory might be true…but there are a lot of holes there.
Regardless…how far have these CMA announcements taken this board? Now we’re talking conspiracy. I almost feel like watching “North by Northwest”
Great article! Carrie’s snub is so outrageous that I don’t even have the right words right now. And I find it a disgrace and an insult that Tim McGraw was upstaged by his opening act, Lady Antebellum, who are remixing all their songs to pop like Taylor Swift, which is not a very good trend to start in country music. Carrie had a very successful tour, good album sales, and 3 number ones in the eligibility period. She is nice to everyone, polite when she loses, and represents the genre very respectably. She plays guitar and piano, is now writing many of her own songs, and played by all the rules. So why the snub?? They can’t say it is because she is too pop, since Taylor swept last year and is more pop then Carrie. They can’t say she didn’t pay her dues, since Miranda is still an opening act just beginning to headline small venues.. Neither Zac Brown Band, Lady A, or Miranda have EVER headlined a big tour yet, and Carrie has headlined 2 enormous successful tours. This recent tour for Play On is getting rave reviews from critics as well. I love Miranda Lambert, but she did not deserve EOTY at this stage of her career. I think she even admitted that to the press this week. I can only gather that the old guard is snubbing Carrie for personal bias and elitist snobbery since she came from American Idol. But Miranda came from reality tv too, Nashville star. So that makes no sense to have double standards. Hypocrites much? They ask Carrie to host the show 3 years in a row, and snub her of her well earned nominations. If I were Carrie, I would tell them to kiss my butt, and not bother hosting next year if asked.
@Dan
True about album sales-but for the current state of sales right now, is her album sales really impressive? Is her radio success? What is it about her that makes her entertainer of the year worthy?
I’m seeing the same Paisley argument at The9513 now. Methinks people are grasping at straws at this point.
Btw, I don’t believe that the same people who asked Carrie to host are the same people who voted on the nominations.
I thought he was a shoo-in last year b/c of the overdue factor, and Taylor Swift won.
I didn’t think anyone had a chance last year. Taylor Mania was like a volcano waiting to explode on CMAs night. Plus I didn’t think the CMAs would pass up a chance to prove a point to a bully like Kanye.
I thought Brad has deserved his EOTY a long time ago already. For me, it’s such a disservice to him for the CMAs to give him “weaker” competition just to ensure his win.
They can’t say it is because she is too pop, since Taylor swept last year and is more pop then Carrie.
I think Carrie might be the — I hate to use this word, but for the lack of a better term, victim — of a backlash because of Taylor’s win last year. They may not have wanted to see the award going to a pop-leaning artist (and Carrie’s recent music is very pop-leaning)two years in a row.
I’m still trying to understand the so-called bloc-voting conspiracy theory. Paisley, Lambert and Underwood all record for Sony. Why would they conspire to get Brad and Miranda nominated at the expense of Carrie?
“I’m seeing the same Paisley argument at The9513 now. Methinks people are grasping at straws at this point.”
Ah, come on, Leeann…embrace your inner Oliver Stone. I can see it now… this CMA fiasco will go down as one of the greatest conspiracy theories of our time. Decades from now, paranoid cults will be talking about the fake moon landing, the JFK conspiracy, and the “Brad/Carrie CMA debacle.” This is history in the making, to quote one Darius Rucker.
Yeah…I’m starting to feel goofy for even giving this theory any thought whatsoever (although it never really made sense to me). I think a few people need to step away from the computer, and relax. There’s no reason to take these award shows that seriously.
Wake me up when November ends.
^ I like that song…. Oh wait it’s “Wake me up when September ends.”. :)
Razor X, “They may not have wanted to see the award going to a pop-leaning artist (and Carrie’s recent music is very pop-leaning)two years in a row.”
If they didn’t want that, then they shouldn’t have nominated Lady Antebellum. Seeing as Lady A had their “Need You Now” remixed for Pop charts and dance club airplay, and they re-released “I Run To You” as a “poppier” single, I don’t think the CMAs has any problem potentially having two artists that are pop-leaning win their highest “honor” (note the quotes around that very vague word).
As for the Brad Paisley thing, I doubt it’s what was intended. However, if it was what they intended, I’m not surprised. Brad Paisley has been nominated one too many times to not win, and if the CMAs wanted to leave Carrie out purposely so she wouldn’t pose a threat to their wish of Paisley’s win, then I’m sure they would do it without thinking twice.
The problem is that there are too many people voting for the nominees for there to have been a conspiracy favoring Paisley. I don’t know why Lady A got nominated at this point in their career; perhaps from a desire to see some new faces among the nominees. I don’t expect them to win.
Understand this – sometimes an aspect of an artist’s career simply slides by the boards. Randy Travis, for all his great success, never won an entertainer of the year award, nor did Buck Owens or Sonny James. In 1967 Jack Greene won song of the year , male vocalist of the year and album of the year – but no entertainer of the year award. It happens and there is no reason to get wadded up about it
These awards come around every year so why is everyone in an uproar? People are acting as if this is the last EOTY CMA award ever being handed out. If Carrie is as great as everyone is saying here, you should be confident that she will get nominated one day. After all, there is a shot each and every year. In the meantime, congratulate the people who were nominated as it is insulting to the nominees to continually go around complaining about who didn’t get nominated and I don’t see how that helps the snubbed artist. It’ll only makes the CMA voters more happy with the decision they made. If I were a voter and read the comments by Carrie’s fans it sure wouldn’t make me want to vote for her….ever. Know why? Because they wouldn’t want those nasty fans to get that joy of the nomination, by then it won’t have anything at all to do with Carrie, more so her supporters.
I mean come on, it’s been like 3 days, she didn’t get a nomination and she’s not alone no other fan base is as over the top as this.
This year they simply went in a different direction. Those nominated represent every aspect from country music in the past year.
You have the top selling country acts represented in Lady A. and ZBB. (sure Carrie sold many albums but they sold plenty more)
You have the most critically acclaimed act represented in Miranda Lambert (Carrie’s Play on album has a 54 metacritic rating vs. 85 for Miranda Lambert, not even remotely close)
You have a top earner represented in Keith Urban (again Carrie’s earnings declined in the past year so apparently her year was a bit weaker then fans are letting on)
and You have a man who’s been nominated many times and never won…Brad Paisly.
So if you ask me, everyone nominated is there for a reason and since there are only five spots each one belongs there.
This is actually one of the best line ups in recent years, bravo voters that’s a lot of variety.
“True about album sales-but for the current state of sales right now, is her album sales really impressive? Is her radio success? What is it about her that makes her entertainer of the year worthy?”
Her album sales are pretty impressive – to even go Gold anymore seems to be an accomplishment reserved for stars, and her current set is nearing Platinum – and her radio play over the past year has been solid.
But more than anything, she’s one of the only artists out there today who is succeeding with daring music, stuff that tries to be truly great instead of just agreeable. I don’t know if she’s been balls-to-the-wall brilliant at any point yet, but it’s all a matter of context. In the Trisha years, she might not have sticked out so much. Today, though, she’s a huge breath of fresh air. She seems like an artist in a sea full of models who sing.
A lot has already been said but I just had to add…
Brian Mansfield’s article and some of these latter posts here are rather disappointing to me because it appears that they’re basically saying don’t worry about it because it’s happened before, it will again and “sometimes CMA voters just get in a mood.”
We will never know for sure why Carrie and Taylor were left off the list this year. What we do know for sure is that there is a gender bias in country music. Since there is a high possibility that these ladies were excluded because they are females, it’s a perfect opportunity to bring this issue out in the open in hopes that something will change. I applaud and thank you Kevin as you seem to be one of those who are willing to bring it to the forefront.
I hope that the discussion about which artist deserved to be nominated and which artist didn’t, fades to the background and the real issue begins to open discussion for change.. not just for award nominations but for radio airplay and wherever else there is gender bias in the genre. There are some amazing and relatively unknown young women in country music right now, and they should be entitled to a fair chance.
The ACMs appear to have moved in the right direction. And even if they are more motivated by fan approval, at least, the ACMs decided to be inclusive with 8 nominees rather than exclusive.
Lastly, it’s a bit insulting Dan that in an article about gender bias, you would post “She seems like an artist in a sea full of models who sing.”
Could I just add, I don’t think anyone not being nominated is being deliberately ‘snubbed’ at all – they aren’t the victims of a vote to exclude them. They just didn’t get the first choice votes of enough people in the preliminary round.
Why would they (Sony) conspire to get Brad and Miranda nominated at the expense of Carrie ? Because it wasn’t Sony – I believe the Entertainer of the Year category noms were manipulated by those that run the CMA association that’s why they there are so many freshmen in the category – the peers would not have voted Freshmen into the Entertainer category – this was obviously a planned ocurrance
Understand this – sometimes an aspect of an artist’s career simply slides by the boards. Randy Travis, for all his great success, never won an entertainer of the year award, nor did Buck Owens or Sonny James.
Exactly. Travis’s success in the late 80s was considered phenomenal at the time and it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he would win Entertainer of the Year at that point. He’s also an interesting case study for those who think that their favorite artist is commercially invincible. Back in the late 80s, many of us expected that it would be Randy Travis who would still be having #1 hits 20 years down the road. Things didn’t quite work out that way.
We will never know for sure why Carrie and Taylor were left off the list this year. What we do know for sure is that there is a gender bias in country music. Since there is a high possibility that these ladies were excluded because they are females, it’s a perfect opportunity to bring this issue out in the open in hopes that something will change.
Do you folks really think that there is a behind closed doors discussion between the powers-that-be at the CMA along the lines of, “Who should get the one available female slot for Entertainer of the Year this year?” I don’t know the number of CMA members who actually vote for these awards, but I’m sure it’s a fairly substantial number, which makes these kinds of conspiracy theories all the more implausible.
Could I just add, I don’t think anyone not being nominated is being deliberately ‘snubbed’ at all – they aren’t the victims of a vote to exclude them. They just didn’t get the first choice votes of enough people in the preliminary round.
Exactly.
Why would they (Sony) conspire to get Brad and Miranda nominated at the expense of Carrie ? Because it wasn’t Sony – I believe the Entertainer of the Year category noms were manipulated by those that run the CMA association that’s why they there are so many freshmen in the category – the peers would not have voted Freshmen into the Entertainer category – this was obviously a planned ocurrance
And what is the basis for this conclusion?
I guess the CMA’s don’t consider their show entertainment!!!!!
I guess the CMA’s don’t consider their show entertainment!!!!!
They are not alone in that assessment.
You don’t have a radical change like this from an entire voting body of 6,000, perhaps say even 4500 voted of those – it doesn’t happen with out manipulation of some kind – Lady A being nominated without a headlining tour under their belt and one song Need You Now that they sold out to a POP remix does not country Entertainer of the Year nominee make and I can’t believe that they would be nominated over someone like Aldean who has the tour, the #1’s, the buzz, record sales and he wasn’t even nominated, Carrie and Taylor don’t even have to explain their accomplishments. Like Jimmy Carter said in the Rumbles from the Row – the Freshmen can’t have Senior honors, they have to earn them. So I just deduced from all I’ve read and heard that the ballot was and maybe all the categories were set the way they wanted then to be – there’s too many oddities not to notice – Miranda- 2 noms in 3 categories, – please, she’s great but no Dolly or Reba and they never got that. Reba got 6 once I think- it’s just too bizarre an ocurrance to be a voted on result in my thinking anyway.
It depends on what you mean by “manipulation”. I’m sure somebody did a lot of lobbying on behalf of Lady A, Zac Brown Band, etc. but it’s always been that way and it doesn’t mean that anything underhanded took place.
You have the top selling country acts represented in Lady A. and ZBB. (sure Carrie sold many albums but they sold plenty more)
Where are Lady A and ZBB on your Forbes List?
ZBB released The Foundation in November 2008 and has total sales to date of 2.1M.
Underwood released Play on in November 2009, a full year later, and has total sales to date of almost 1.7M
A full year ahead of selling albums and ZBB sold around just 400k more than Underwood.
Or did you mean the combined sales of LadyA and ZBB being more than Underwood?
Well, if that’s what you mean, then the combined sales of Swift and Underwood are more than all EOTY nominees combined.
“Lastly, it’s a bit insulting Dan that in an article about gender bias, you would post “She seems like an artist in a sea full of models who sing.””
Only if you assume (somewhat gender-biased-ly) that the only “models” I could be referring to are female, which is hardly the case. I think many artists of both genders are guilty of “singing model” syndrome.
I think that it’s ludicrous to suggest that there was a calculated exclusion of Underwood and Swift. However, the historical patterns in this category – 44 years worth of nominations – do reveal an institutional bias that has underrepresented female artists in the top category.
The only way to combat institutional bias is to point it out and facilitate a discussion about it. So it’s good to see that most articles are putting the Swift and Underwood omissions in their proper historical context.
I think that most people believe in equality and fairness, so if this brouhaha makes CMA voters more conscientious in their voting from now on, that’s a good thing. I’m sure there are some who truly believe that it should be a boys’ club, but I bet that most do not, in this day and age.
Willis —
You automatically assume that no other fanbase would be as “over the top” as the Carrie fans are being? How so? I’d bet you anything that if Taylor had the kind of year that Carrie has had in 2010, the Swift fans would be going BALLISTIC. Plus, there’s PLENTY of fans from several different fanbases who have stepped up to bat for Carrie and her fans. I’ve run into several articles where fans ranging from George Strait to Laura Bell Bundy have all been completely outrageous in response to the snub.
Sorry, but even you can’t deny that Carrie hasn’t had a year good enough for the EOTY. Since when is having three opening acts considered a valid lineup? Miranda has had a great year, but not EOTY worthy. Lady Antebellum has had a fantastic year, and I understand where the nod is coming from, but I think Tim McGraw should’ve been nominated with them since they OPENED for him on tour. And the CMAs have gone ‘cuckoo’ over the Zac Brown Band nominations. Since when does having a decent 2010 with no headlining tour and two singles that slowly scaled their way through the charts considered Entertainer worthy? Plus, why did they get nominated for Best New Artist again? They were nominated last year, and lost to Darius Rucker. Do the CMAs feel that bad for them that they have to give them a second chance, and ultimately screw the rest of the competition? If ZBB wasn’t in that category and someone like Danny Gokey, Justin Moore, or Laura Bell Bundy was in there, the playing field would be much more fair. Since ZBB is there, it’s an obvious win. The others are virtually done, and should just take the nomination.
Carrie’s gross for the “Play On Tour” was over $18.4 million, and that was only half of the tour. Willis; you’re collecting half of the tour’s information. The other half starts on Sept. 25 in Portland, OR, so nobody is able to determine the statistics of her sales/attendance.
Carrie’s albums sales have topped Miranda’s. Billboard came out with an article back around June 30/July 1 (so it’s decently recent) with the top selling Country albums, and “Play On” was above “Revolution”.
Sorry, but the ballot just is NOT fair, nor is it valid this year. If they want the winner to live up to their standards of an Entertainer (which at this point, the standards are lower than Ke$ha’s credibility rate), then the most logical choice they have of the five nominees they’ve thrown together like preschoolers is either Keith or Brad. If Lady A, ZBB, or Miranda gets the win, all hell will break loose, and everyone knows that the media will go even more insane than they already have with the snub.
What I find extremely funny is other than Brad and Keith every other Entertainer nominee would be an opening act for Carrie Underwood. A triple crown and two Entertainer nominations (wins) from the ACM’s and she can’t get a nomination from the CMA’s even when it is overwhelmingly deserved. I’m not a huge fan of Taylor but she had one of the biggest tours in all of music and that basically got slid under the rug and she won it last year. The two biggest stars in country music and the CMA’s decide to select three opening acts and two regulars to represent country music as their best in entertainment. Good luck with that. I guess I should congratulate Brad Paisley as it is a foregone conclusion that he will win. I like Brad but don’t you think he should be going up against the best that country music has to offer? A hollow win is still a win I guess.
I don’t understand the voting procedure. There is a big politics inside of this award.
I don’t understand the voting procedure. There is a big politics inside of this award. -Mapoi
^^Probably the reason why the CMAs have declined to comment on nearly every article I’ve read on this issue.
All awards are political.
Meh, I’m a Carrie Underwood fan but I’m not outraged about her not getting nominated for entertainer. Does it make sense? No. But I’m not gonna loose any sleep over it. The music is what matters most, not the awards. Besides, she’s nominated for both female vocalist and album of the year. Not too shabby!
I think the reason why Carrie Underwood was so called “snubbed” was because they were tired of her dominating the award shows with nominations and wins and the fact that she won EOTY twice at the ACM’s. Yes I am too am a Carrie Underwood fan. I buy her CD’s and been to numerous concerts and some fan club parties, she’s an awesome vocalist and entertainer. And like Evan said but I am not going to lose sleep over the fact that she wasn’t nominated..you hard core Carrie Underwood fans need to get lives. I don’t think she is bawling over that fact she wasn’t nominated..disappointed maybe, but I think she is happy either way. She is making millions doing what she loves to do..So please DROP this discussion it’s REALLY getting OLD! It is what it is and move on with your lives..She probably has already been reading posts and is apalled by some of your comments. I don’t she would appreciate her friend Miranda being dogged for her nominations. I think that we have been oversaturated with Underwood and Swift both and they wanted to see “new” faces for the nominations. I mean Underwood is up for TFV and Album, so that is not too shabby, although Miranda will win for her album for Revolution it looks like. It’s a tough call for TFV, who knows on that one, you never know with the CMA’s..
Sony may be looking at it as they feel Lambert could benefit from the push of a EOTY nom where as Carrie dosent really need it, she is still going #1 and her albums are still going multi-platinum, Lambert isn’t as stable. Her success is shaky and unpredictable. So perhaps this is their way of boosting her at Carrie’s expense.
EVAN: Meh, I’m a Carrie Underwood fan but I’m not outraged about her not getting nominated for entertainer. Does it make sense? No. But I’m not gonna loose any sleep over it. The music is what matters most, not the awards. Besides, she’s nominated for both female vocalist and album of the year. Not too shabby!
omg i thought i was the only one out there who thought like this. Carrie is my girl but come on its not like the award people are going to read these articles or let alone care and be like o no we made a horrible mistake, it b nice but what can we do? In my opinion Underwood is my ETOY every year that im alive. and she knows that as well that us fans think that of her.
I think we should just be happy with her current noms and keep cheering!!