[Sing4me88]

Genre is no doubt important but IMHO if a strong is polished and commercial it'll sell either way. There's a few songs in the charts at the moment I'm really digging that are clearly commercial and actually seem to cut across genres; 'It ain't me' Kygo ft Selena Gomez has a country vibe meets a POP/EDM production (it''s quite catchy and has a good strong beat to it) while 'Chained to the Rhythm' by Katy Perry and Skip Marley has a really neat funk meets pop vibe(unsurprisingly this was co-written with the legendary Pop genius Max Martin and Sia).  Other songs often have a pretty cool mixed vibe going on; 'Goodness Gracious' by Ellie Goulding has an Afro beat undertone while some of Ke$ha's stuff have a yodelling vibe to it. In summary I guess if the song gets peoples foots tapping, has them humming or singing the hook and dancing it'll sell regardless of what label is put on it.

[hardtwistmusic]

You asked - "how important is genre?" 

I'll answer your question with a question:   "How important is genre TO WHOM?"

To me, not at all.  I'm not capable of distinguishing from one genre to the next musically. 

To a songwriter who is also a musician competent enough to be trying to get on the radio - it's vital. 

To a producer trying to help create a sound that will sell for an artist - it's vital. 

To an agent, trying to sell the package (artist/songwriter/producer) to a label, it's vital. 

To the label, it's vital. . . or not.  Sometimes genre bending works.  But it's almost certainly best not to bet that it will unless you can afford to lose the bet.