kelsea ballerini #4 most played female of the decade #3 most played female in 2019 over 2 billion streams to date miss me more #20 song of 2019 | over 200 million streams homecoming queen? #100 song of 2019 | over 50 million streams thank you country radio! COMBS, CARRIE, DAN + SHAY LEAD 2019 Carrie COUNTRY AIRPLAY Underwood n just his third full year on the national music scene, Luke Combs tops Country Aircheck’s Overall and Male Top Performer categories in 2019. It has been a meteoric Irise for Combs, who was CA’s Top New Artist and No. 10 Overall artist in 2017. Last year, he ranked No. 9 Overall and eighth on the list of men. During the 2019 chart year, Combs posted four Top 15 songs, all of which hit No. 1 at some point in their chart run. “Beautiful Crazy” – this year’s CMA Song of the Year – topped the chart for four weeks; “Beer Never Broke My Heart” was on top for two weeks in the current chart year, which ran Nov. 11, 2018-Nov. 9, 2019. “She Got The Best of Me” peaked in the 2018 chart year while “Even Though I’m Leaving” was No. 1 the fi rst three weeks of the 2020 chart year. In addition to CMA Song, Combs also won the CMA crystal bullet as Male Vocalist and took home the ACM hat for Best New Male Artist. Carrie Underwood once again led the Women’s airplay category, narrowly edging 2017 and 2018 top female, Maren Morris. Underwood posted a No. 1 with “Southbound” and a Top 10 with “Love Wins.” This is the seventh time Underwood has been the most-heard theYEAR female since hitting Country airwaves in 2005 after winning American Idol, also taking the crown in 2016, 2015, 2010, 2008, 2007 and 2006. inMUSIC Leading the Duo/Group category for the fi rst time, and placing fi fth overall, are ACM and CMA Duo TOP 15 of the Year, Dan + Shay. The pair notched No. 1s with “Speechless,” a two-week chart-topper, and “All To FIRST Myself.” Their collaboration with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours,” peaked at No. 14 during the 2019 chart year Country Radio’s TIMERS but is inside the top 10 at press time. The pair also took Six artists charted a Top home ACM hardware for Single and Song with “Tequila.” 15 Country single for the Riley Green tops the New Artist list on the strength fi rst time during the 2019 of a No. 1 with “There Was This Girl” and the current Top 2019 Performers chart year, including a Top 20, “I Wish Grandpas Never Died.” pair – Lindsay Ell and Justin Record Lows: A total of 143 songs made it into the Bieber – who were part of Top 50 in 2019 – six fewer than last year, 14 fewer than OVERALL collaborations with Brantley 2017 and 17 under 2016 and 2015. This is the lowest 1 LUKE COMBS River House/Columbia Gilbert and Dan + Shay, number of songs hitting the Top 50 in a year in more Macon Music/Broken Bow respectively. That is down than 30 years of keeping track of this stat. 2 JASON ALDEAN from the 10 Top 15 First 3 THOMAS RHETT Valory Timers in 2018, eight in This year’s 143 charted songs came from 91 different RCA 2017 and nine in 2016. artists – 58 men with 100 songs, 17 women with 20 songs 4 KANE BROWN Three in this year’s group (including Lindsay Ell, who joined Brantley Gilbert on 5 DAN + SHAY Warner/WAR notched No. 1s – Gilbert a No. 1 duet) and 16 duos/groups with 23 songs. That 6 LUKE BRYAN Capitol and Ell’s “What Happens In compares to last year’s 149 songs from 92 different 7 BLAKE SHELTON Warner/WMN A Small Town,” Riley Green’s artists – 59 men with 99 songs, 14 women with 21 songs 8 JIMMIE ALLEN Stoney Creek “There Was This Girl” and (including Faith Hill, who joined Tim McGraw on a 9 DIERKS BENTLEY Capitol Matt Stell’s “Prayed For You.” duet) and 19 duos/groups with 29 songs. In 2017, the 157-charted tunes were distributed 10 OLD DOMINION RCA JUSTIN BIEBER among 59 men with 107 songs, 14 women (including (Warner/WAR) Hill, who joined McGraw on a pair of charted duets) MALE with 18 songs and 16 duos/groups with 32 songs. LINDSAY ELL Only 68 songs peaked in top 15 in 2019, also a 1 LUKE COMBS River House/Columbia (Stoney Creek) record low, forty-eight different artists contributed to 2 JASON ALDEAN Macon Music/Broken Bow those 68 . The large number of artists contributing to 3 THOMAS RHETT Valory RILEY GREEN the low number of songs suggests a considerable slowing 4 KANE BROWN RCA (BMLGR) in the life of a song. This year’s number compares to 5 LUKE BRYAN Capitol last year’s 52 separate artists who contributed to the 77 CODY JOHNSON 6 BLAKE SHELTON Warner/WMN songs that peaked inside the Top 15. In 2017, Country (CoJo/Warner/WMN) 7 JIMMIE ALLEN Stoney Creek had 49 artists generate 72 Top 15s and in 2016 there were 52 acts with 80 songs. 8 DIERKS BENTLEY Capitol RUNAWAY JUNE 9 CHRIS YOUNG RCA (Wheelhouse) The 48 artists contributing 68 top 15s were 37 men/52 songs, four women/six songs and seven duos or 10 MORGAN WALLEN Big Loud MATT STELL groups/10 songs. In 2018, the 52 artists with 77 Top 15s (Wide Open/ came from 39 men/58 songs, fi ve women/seven songs FEMALE Records/GCE/Arista) and eight duos or groups/12 songs. In 2017, fi ve women had six Top 15s while in 2016 seven women placed 12 1 CARRIE UNDERWOOD Capitol songs in the Top 15. In 2015, four women had seven 2 MAREN MORRIS Columbia tunes in that space. 3 KELSEA BALLERINI Black River No. 1s, Top 100: Country churned out 40 No. 1 songs by 35 different artists in 2019. Luke 4 LINDSAY ELL Stoney Creek Combs is the year’s No. 1 king, posting six weeks on the throne. He was the only artist with a four-week No. 1 with “Beautiful Crazy.” Combs is also among a group of seven acts – which 5 CARLY PEARCE Big Machine includes Jimmie Allen, Luke Bryan, Dan + Shay, Scotty McCreery, Chase Rice and Blake 6 MIRANDA LAMBERT RCA Shelton – who had a two-week No. 1. Those seven artists accounted for 18 weeks of No. 1s. 7 TENILLE TOWNES Columbia Twenty-seven men contributed 42 No. 1s over 42 weeks, four women had four chart- 8 TRISHA YEARWOOD Gwendolyn/Pearl toppers for four weeks and four duos/groups posted four No. 1s covering fi ve weeks. This 9 INGRID ANDRESS Warner/WEA includes the No. 1 duet from Gilbert and Ell. 10 LAUREN ALAINA 19/Mercury In 2018, 40 No. 1 songs came from 31 different artists. Twenty-four men contributed 32 No. 1s over 40 weeks, three women had three chart-toppers for three weeks and four duos/groups posted fi ve No. 1s covering seven weeks. DUO/GROUP The prior year saw 44 No. 1s by 33 different artists. Twenty-four men posted 33 No. 1s covering 38 weeks, three women counted for three No. 1s over three weeks, and six duos/ 1 DAN + SHAY Warner/WAR groups posted eight songs that 2 OLD DOMINION RCA spent nine weeks at No. 1. 3 ELI YOUNG BAND Valory Contributing songs to this Number of Charted Songs 4 MIDLAND Big Machine year’s Top 100 were 46 men 5 RUNAWAY JUNE Wheelhouse with 70 songs, 12 women 6 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE BMLGR with 15 songs (including the 7 RASCAL FLATTS Big Machine Gilbert/Ell duet), and 12 Duos/Groups with 16 songs. 8 LADY ANTEBELLUM BMLGR 196 175 172 169 160 160 157 149 143 Combs and Shelton each 9 LOCASH Wheelhouse had four hits in the Top 100, 10 BROS. OSBORNE EMI Nashville while Jason Aldean, Kane Brown and Thomas Rhett each 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 had a trio. NEW ARTIST As always, all of the airplay 1 RILEY GREEN BMLGR information within these pages Number of Songs Reaching Top 15 Stoney Creek comes from our partners at 2 LINDSAY ELL Mediabase 24/7. All of these 3 RUNAWAY JUNE Wheelhouse stats are based on singles that 4 CODY JOHNSON CoJo/Warner/WMN spent at least one week in the 5 MATT STELL Wide Open/Records/GCE/Arista Top 50 during the 2019 chart 78 80 80 82 73 80 72 77 68 6 MITCHELL TENPENNEY Riser House/Columbia year, which ran Nov. 11, 2018- 7 HARDY TVM/Big Loud Nov. 9, 2019. 8 TYLER RICH Valory 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 9 TRAVIS DENNING Mercury 10 RYAN HURD RCA PAGE 27 • DECEMBER 2019.