Irish songwriter and artist Ruth-Anne Cunningham says we need to start championing Irish female artists so they can enjoy the same level of chart success here as their male and international counterparts.
In the last two years, no songs by Irish female artists or even bands with female members have appeared in the Irish top 10 single charts.
A report complied for IRMA shows charts between December 2018 and October 2020 dominated by male artists.
It comes despite the positive response enjoyed by the likes of Denise Chaila and Pillow Queens.
The report comes as all musicians deal with the challenges of having no income from live performances.
Ruth-Anne Cunningham - who has co-written songs for the likes of Britney Spears and Niall Horan, and performs her own music as RuthAnne - told Moncrieff we need to break the pattern we've seen in recent years.
She said: "The data doesn't lie... it's such a sad day for Irish music to see figures like that. I know and work with so many amazing female Irish artists in this industry.
"I think the problem is exposure and platforms, mainly. Right now on radio, for instance, they only have to play 30% Irish music. That 30% then goes to the biggest acts - like Hozier, Dermot Kennedy, Gavin James... as it should, because they're amazing. But the problem is because there's such little slots for Irish music, they're not able to fit that many more on there.
"The problem comes from the fact we can't seem to break an Irish female - we haven't broken an Irish female in this country since Imelda May, which was over ten years ago."
RuthAnne said artists do have a lot of opportunity to enjoy a good profile online through the likes of Spotify.
However, she said when it comes to the singles charts Irish musicians simply cannot compete with international acts.
She said: "If you're talking about Ariana Grande vs Soulé... Ariana Grande has a massive label behind her - she's globally streamed, and on TV everywhere.
"In Ireland, we need more of the media and gatekeepers giving those platforms to our own and championing our own - because then they would become household names.
"The problem is all our gigs have been taken away this year. The charts are very important - especially when it comes to making a global impact.
"It's a not just the radio stations - it's a whole country and culture issue. Some of the male artists are frustrated as well, it just happens to be that women are suffering more."
She said a single from her own Irish Women In Harmony managed to break the top 15 charts - but that took 40 Irish female artists coming together.
'Irish music culture problem'
RuthAnne said the problem goes beyond gender, and that there's an overall music cultural problem in Ireland where we're backing international acts above our own - often meaning Irish artists have to leave the country to make money.
She said her own music receives plenty of streams from fans in Ireland - but she's often asked why her songs aren't on the radio more.
In terms of the path forward, RuthAnne said: "We should be the ones getting behind our own from the beginning... let's take the risk, believe in our own and champion our own.
"If we started to do that, we would see a lot more females in the top 10 and a lot more Irish males in the top 10. We'd see a huge burst in ticket sales... in the fact we'd have a lot more household names."
"It's not about fame... it's being able to play your music, have a career, and make money from what you do. It's very important all of us speak up for this, because this is an issue that's being noticed by the public.
"It is not because the music is subpar... if the music is good enough for BBC Radio 6, Grey's Anatomy, Netflix things and Love Island, it's good enough for Irish radio and for the Irish public to consume."
