What do Country stations’ most-played currents say about the format, particularly about the mix of callout-driven and streaming-driven titles that affect so much of the format’s alchemy now? Despite streaming’s undeniable impact, and its ability to create faster-breaking hits, power rotation still seems to show a greater influence from either more-traditional callout-driven hits or at least those driven by both indicators.
It’s not news to say that Country stations power a lot of songs that have become recurrents—at least by Mediabase’s definition for what remains on the Country chart. In the moments before Country’s rebound, the chart was dominated by slow-rising hits, often callout-driven ballads, that lingered even longer at some stations. Now, the chart has become a more varied place, both stylistically and in terms of timing. We were looking for some sense of how that might have changed what listeners hear most.
Ross on Radio has taken a similar look at CHR stations’ powers from time to time since the late ‘10s when the lack of hit product seemed most acute. At that time, stations’ powers were not only dominated by recurrents but also included some mid-chart hits that had finally begun to research after peaking. That’s something less likely to happen in Country, where the slower building chart means that more songs have a chance to show a callout story before peaking.
Part of our interest in the streaming/callout balance has come from Country’s relative strength, compared to pop radio. In Top 40, it’s increasingly rare for PDs to let a song without streaming stick around long enough to make it to callout. At the top of the Country chart now, callout seems to still have more influence, both evidenced by the types of songs in power and by the number of songs lingering after their chart peak.
We looked at 13 major- and large-market Country stations this week, focusing on their top 4-5 songs. (We had no inside information as to where stations drew a line between power and sub-power; in most cases, the breaks were evident.)
The most obvious place where streaming has had its impact is the presence of Morgan Wallen. With Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and dominating streaming, all but one of the stations we looked at had at least one Wallen song in power, usually the title track, which went to No. 1 in 16 weeks, but sometimes the seven-week-old “Just in Case.”
Wallen’s ascent changed Country’s willingness to play more than one ascending title from the same artist (as well as shattering on-air artist separation rules). Six stations had more than one Wallen song in power. Two stations had three, if you include the Post Malone/Wallen duet, “I Had Some Help.” Those stations were KYGO Denver and KBAY San Jose, two stations with the most visible influence of streaming in the Country format.
Some other observations:
- Six stations have a power rotation comprised entirely of currents, as defined under current chart rules. Six have a mix of currents and recurrents. WQYK Tampa, Fla., has a power rotation comprised entirely of “recurrents.”
- Of the six stations playing only currents as powers, all but one are powering a song that has spent at least 28 weeks on the chart, more than half a year, an indicator of the continued strength of slower-developing titles.
- Nine stations have the No. 1 song, Wallen’s “I’m the Problem,” in power, and a 10th seems to have moved it down halfway through the week.
- Six stations were powering either the No. 2 song, Jason Aldean’s “Whiskey Drink,” or Riley Green’s No. 3 “Worst Way.” Those two songs are running “power up” ads in competition for the No. 1 slot next week. A seventh station is powering Megan Moroney’s “Am I Okay?” That song is running a similar ad for the following week.
- Five stations have at least one power-rotation song shared with CHR radio. WQYK has three. Two others are powering Jelly Roll’s “Liar,” not worked to CHR but with lateral support from rock radio in many markets.
- Only four stations have a female-led single in power. A fifth, KYGO, is powering the Zach Bryan/Kacey Musgraves duet, “I Remember Everything.” That also makes KYGO the only station powering a song that had left the charts without ever becoming a consensus hit throughout the format.
- Seven stations are powering a song that hasn’t yet reached the top 10 nationally, often indicating a title driven by streaming. That includes two stations powering Shaboozey’s “Good News” as well as KKBQ (93Q) Houston, powering Ty Myers’s “Ends of the Earth.”
WKHX (New Country 101-5) Atlanta
- Megan Moroney, “Am I Okay?”
- Riley Green, “Worst Way”
- Jason Aldean, “Whiskey Drink”
- Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”
- Tyler Hubbard, “Park”
- Morgan Wallen, “I’m The Problem”
- Jason Aldean, “Whiskey Drink”
- Kane Brown, “Backseat Driver”
- Sam Hunt, “Country House”
- Megan Moroney, “Am I Okay?”
- Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”
- Locash, “Hometown Home”
- Jelly Roll, “Liar”
- Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”
- Morgan Wallen, “Just in Case”
- Zach Top, “I Never Lie”
- Riley Green, “Worst Way”
- Shaboozey, “Good News”—at 65x a week; other most-played are in 48-52 range
- Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”
- Morgan Wallen, “Love Somebody”
- Zach Bryan f/Kacey Musgraves, “I Remember Everything”—after 3,400 spins
- Morgan Wallen, “Just in Case”
- Jason Aldean, “Whiskey Drink”
- Sam Hunt, “Country House”
- Ella Langley, “Weren’t for the Wind”
- Morgan Wallen, “Just in Case”—“I’m the Problem” is falling out of what looks like a fifth slot from last week
- Riley Green, “Worst Way” — Rival KILT (The Bull)’s most-played songs are mostly in the 35-40 spin range. Most-played with 47x is Jason Aldean’s “Whiskey Drink.” “Worst Way” is No. 2 at 40x.
- Ty Myers, “Ends of the Earth”
- Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”
- Zach Top, “I Never Lie”
- Morgan Wallen, “Love Somebody”
- Kane Brown, “Backstreet Driver”
- Jason Aldean, “Whiskey Drink”
- Ella Langley, “Weren’t for the Wind”
- Luke Bryan, “Country Song Came On”
- Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”
- Jason Aldean, “Whiskey Drink”
- Locash, “Hometown Home”
- Corey Kent, “This Heart”
- Riley Green, “Worst Way”
KNCI (New Country 105.1) Sacramento
- Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”
- Sam Hunt, “Country House”
- Locash, “Hometown Home”
- Dylan Scott, “This Town’s Been Too Good to Us” — bounces back into power
- Jelly Roll, “Liar”
- Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”
- Zach Top, “I Never Lie”
- Morgan Wallen f/Post Malone, “I Ain’t Coming Back”
- Morgan Wallen, “Just in Case”
- Brandon Lake w/Jelly Roll, “Hard Fought Hallelujah” — with Morgan/Post, one of two songs well outside the top 10, a confirmation of KBAY’s openness to streaming
- Morgan Wallen, “I’m the Problem”
- Zach Top, “I Never Lie”
- Post Malone f/Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help”
- Jelly Roll, “Liar”
- Shaboozey, “Good News”
- Tyler Hubbard, “Park”
- Locash, “Hometown Home” — also the most played at crosstown WFUS (US103.5)
- Post Malone f/Blake Shelton, “Pour Me a Drink”
- Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
- Morgan Wallen, “Love Somebody”
- Post Malone f/Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help”
