Billboard reported Tuesday that Beyoncé’s single “Texas Hold ‘Em” had been officially serviced to country radio. It’s a step of formality, one dictated by the industry’s archaic allegiance to terrestrial radio and, relatedly, its need to control which songs and creators are allowed to ascend to country music’s highest heights.

No matter the millions of people who want to hear Beyoncé on country radio or witness her acknowledgement at the Academy of Country Music's awards show or the Country Music Association's show, this servicing is a necessary first step. It is not, however, a certainty – explicit or otherwise – that a majority of country radio stations will play “Texas Hold ‘Em,” or that they’ll play it enough for the song to chart high enough for ACM and CMA award eligibility.

The country music industry is a standalone fortress, built and reinforced over the past century as the music business at large drew artificial genre boundaries along more obvious racial divisions. The good news (for those who’ve found success within country music) and bad news (for those who haven’t) is that the industry is neither beholden to, nor moved by, outside forces.

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As the industry’s major record labels made pledges to diversify their business operations in the aftermath of George Floyd’s 2020 murder, there was no external pressure for their Nashville divisions to follow suit.

Indeed, even as Sony fully supports Beyoncé’s country endeavors, its own Nashville offices and rosters – on both the label and publisher sides – remain glaringly white.

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