The triple j Hottest 100 always sweeps the nation — at least, those who care about music, a.k.a. the only people we’re interested in — but this year’s countdown made headlines for a very unique and totally unexpected reason.

As readers will almost certainly recall, the Hottest 100 became embroiled in a controversy with pop superstar Taylor Swift following a viral campaign by BuzzFeed, which attempted to secure a place for Swift’s hit ‘Shake It Off’ in the countdown.

After much speculation, Swift was not included in the countdown, with triple j explaining their decision to omit ‘Shake It Off’ from the poll with a mock website dubbed TripleJFeed, which featured a layout similar to BuzzFeed.

But just when Australia’s national youth broadcaster thought they were done with Taylor Swift controversy, they’ve gone and plopped themselves in hot water once again after they played a Ryan Adams cover of Swift’s recent single ‘Wildest Dreams’.

According to the triple j Plays Twitter account, which keeps track of everything played on the station, Adams’ cover of ‘Wildest Dreams’ — a cut from the alt-country star’s album of covers inspired by Swift’s 1989 LP — was played at 11:35pm on Monday.

As RipItUp note, Adams isn’t exactly a triple j mainstay these days. According to Adelaide maths personality Casey Briggs, triple j haven’t actually played a Ryan Adams song since 2011, though he continues to remain in prominent rotation over on Double J.

Meanwhile, Adams’ Swift cover marks the second time that a song by the pop hit-maker has been played on the station after German duo Milky Chance performed a cover of ‘Shake It Off’ during an appearance on Like A Version. And therein lies the rub.

As the Sydney Morning Herald reports, Swift fans and triple j listeners alike are in uproar, claiming the station’s decision to play an Adams cover of a Swift tune when they wouldn’t be likely to play the original is an example of sexism.

It’s not the first time the suggestion has been raised. Many criticised New Yorker magazine’s decision not to review Swift’s original 1989 album but covering Adams’ cover record, a move mimicked by several other outlets.

“I literally had a conversation last week about how this would happen. They threw scorn on #Tay4Hottest100 then play a dude covering 1989,” wrote Twitter user Lauren Ingram. “This is such blatant sexism @triplej. I’m angry, but not surprised. Music made for young women is seen as less cool than music for young men.”

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“Taylor swift is only acceptable on triple j when sung by a white dude apparently,” wrote one commenter, while another claimed, “If this Taylor Swift cover makes the Hottest 100, the Triple J Obsolescence Cycle will be complete.”

“[Are] these bastions of taste finally listening, because it’s a man?” Is Ryan Adams legitimising her work?” Double J host Henry Wagons recently asked on an episode of his show dissecting the controversy surrounding the acclaim received by Adams’ cover album.

“Or is this whole thing more an example of snobbishness or elitism towards pop music, it’s not sexism at all and Adams has finally given a sort of deft authenticity to this supreme pop writing in a way Taylor Swift hasn’t?”

triple j have so far not responded to the controversy.

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