Executive of the Week: Interscope Geffen A&M President of Promotion Brenda Romano
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 13, 2020 | PAGE 4 OF 19 ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected] Bulletin SamHunt’s Southside Rules Top Country YOURAlbu DAILYms; BrettENTERTAINMENT Young ‘Catc NEWSh UPDATE’-es Fifth AirplayMARCH 5, 2021 Page 1 of 24 Leader; Travis Denning Makes History INSIDE Executive of the Week: Sam Hunt’s second studio full-length, and first in over five years, Southside sales (up 21%) in the tracking week. On Country Airplay, it hops 18-15 (11.9 mil- (MCA Nashville/Universal Music GroupInterscope Nashville), debuts at No. 1 on Billboard ’sGeffen lion audience impressions, A&M up 16%). President Top •Country Tracking Albums Music’s chart dated April 18. In its first week (ending April 9), it earnedNFT 46,000 Gold Rush:equivalent A album units, including 16,000 in album sales, ac- TRY TO ‘CATCH’ UP WITH YOUNG Brett Youngachieves his fifth consecutive cordingTimeline to Nielsen of Recent, Music/MRC Data. of Promotionand total CountryBrenda Airplay No. 1 as “Catch” Romano (Big Machine Label Group) ascends SouthsideRecord-Breaking marks Hunt’s second No. 1 on the 2-1, increasing 13% to 36.6 million impressions. chart and fourthSales top 10. It follows freshman LP BY Dan Rys Young’s first of six chart entries, “Sleep With- Montevallo, which arrived at the summit in No - out You,” reached No. 2 in December 2016. He vember• 2014 Arab and Music reigned for nine weeks. To date, followed with the multiweek No. 1s “In Case You Olivia Rodrigo gained another No. 1 in her domina- this week), and crossed Machine Gun Kelly from MontevalloStreamer has Anghami earned 3.9 million units, with 1.4 Didn’t Know” (two weeks, June 2017), “Like I Loved millionStrengthens in album sales. Its tion of the charts with her smash debut single “drivers the rap chartsYou” to (three, the rock January and 2018),pop charts, “Mercy” where (two, August MontevalloPosition has In Battle spent 267 weekslicense” on the list, this tying week, as the surprise hit reached No. his blackbear2018) collaboration and “Here Tonight” “My Ex’s (two, Best April Friend” 2019). Luke BryanAgainst’s Crash Spotify My Party as the1 on sixth-longest-Pop Airplay in just seven weeks. To put that remains at its “Catch”No. 11 peak completes on Pop his Airplay longest journey this week. to No. 1, running titles in the chart’s 56-year history. having taken 46 weeks to reach the apex. It out- • Recording in perspective, that’s the shortest ascent to the top Here, Romano talks about the breakout success for On the all-genre Billboard 200, Southside ar- paces the 30-week climb of “Here Tonight.” Academy to since Ed Sheeran’s world-conquering “Shape Of Rodrigo’s debut, the strategy for Eilish’s rollout and rives at No. 5, awarding Hunt his second top 10 On Hot Country Songs, “Catch” pushes 7-5 for Partner on Study HUNT YOUNG after the No. 3-peaking MontevalloYou”. in 2017, and the fastest to No. 1 for a female lead Interscope Geffena new high. A&M’s long track record of break- About Women’s Hunt first released the EPX2C artist’s, which debutdebuted in nearly 20 years, since Blu Cantrell’s ing new artists at radio. Representation and peaked at No. 5 on Top Country“Hit ‘Em Albums Up Style in August (Oops!)” 2014. shot Following to the top ofCOMBS the chart ‘DOES’ IT AGAIN Luke Combs’ “Does to Me” (River House/Columbia Across Music “drivers license” reached No. 1 on Pop Airplay in Montevallo, Between the Pines: Acoustic Mixtape started at its No. 7 high in Nashville), featuring Eric Church, ascends 11-8 on Country Airplay, up 10% to Industry in the summer of 2001. just seven weeks. What key decisions did you make November 2015. 24.7 million in audience. The song is Combs’ eighth straight career-opening It’s another feather in the cap for Rodrigo, and to help that song achieve that feat? Montevallo produced five singles, four of which hit the pinnacle of Country top 10, following a record run of seven consecutive out-of-the-gate, properly • The Chicks’ Tour another big victory for Interscope Geffen A&M Upon release, “drivers license” set streaming re- Airplay:Company “Leave Files the Night$6.6 On,” “Take Your Time,” “House Party” and “Make promoted No. 1 singles. president of promotion , who earns cords, dominating the DSPs. [Geffen Records General You MissMillion Me.” Suit “Break Over Up in a Small Town” peaked at No. 2.Brenda Romano Church adds his 15th Country Airplay top 10. HuntRejected co-penned Insurance all 12 songsthe on Southsidetitle of Billboard, including’s Executive “Body Like of a the Back Week. (Geffen Manager] Lee L’Heureux and I spoke about going for Road,” whichClaim was released in 2017.Records The smash released hit ruled “drivers Country license,” Airplay and for Interscope THAT TOOK QUITETop ‘A40 FEW’ and HOTMONTHS AC Travis immediately, Denning and shatters we did.the record for three weeks and the airplay-, streaming- and sales-based Hot Country Songs the most weeks it has taken to penetrate the Country Airplay top 10 as “After handles its radio promotion.) In addition to promoting When a song is that big of a smash on stream- chart• forS-Curve a then-record Founder 34 frames. It now ranks second only to Bebe Rexha and a Few” (Mercury Nashville) climbs 12-10 in its 57th week, up 4% to 21.4 mil - “drivers license” to its standout peak — the song is also FloridaSteve Georgia Greenberg Line’s “Meant to Be” (50 weeks atop the latter list in 2017-18). lion in radio reach.ing right out of the gate, how do you approach “Downtown’sDeparts BMG: Dead,” which isGeffen’s also on the first new Popset, reachedAirplay Nos.No. 1 14since and 152007 —The Romano song surpassesthe radio two tracks strategy? that took Does 50 weeksit make each the to jobenter easier the top or 10: on Hot CountryExclusive Songs and Countryand Airplay,her team respectively, have broken in June records 2018. with “Kin-BillieEaston Eilish Corbin, ’sharder? “A Girl Like You,” which reached No. 10 in January 2018 be- folks” led Country Airplay on Feb.who 29, last becoming month Hunt’sbecame seventh the solo No. artist 1. It hit with forethe peakingmost at No.It’s 6 that wonderful February, andwhen Aaron you Watsonhave the’s “Outtaopportunity Style,” towhich No. 3 on Hot Country Songs. achieved its No. 10 high in December 2017. No. 1s on Alternative Airplay in the chart’s history go to radio with a song that has tons of interest and Latest single “Hard to Forget” jumps 17-9 on Hot Country Songs. It’s his “After” is Denning’s second Country Airplay entry. “David Ashley Parker (“Therefore I Am” also sits at No. 5 on Pop Airplay (continued) eighth top 10, having corralled 8.2 million U.S. streams (up 96%) and 5,000 in From Powder Springs” traveled to No. 32 in September 2018. ETHAN MICHAEL YOUNG: VIA MARTIN/NHLI GETTY HUNT: IMAGES. IMAGES MILLER/GETTY Page 3 of 24 IN BRIEF passion from millions of people. But it’s not big way and helped us partner with every just about the data. Radio loved the song and broadcasting outlet. Tracking Music’s wanted to jump in and be a part of Olivia’s Interscope has developed a strong story from the beginning, and they are, in a track record with breaking new artists at NFT Gold Rush: very big way. various radio formats over the past sev- With a huge hit right out of the gate, eral years. How has breaking new artists A Timeline of how do you follow it up at radio? at radio changed over the years? Easy answer: With a great follow-up song, Radio doesn’t have to be first anymore. Recent, Record- and Olivia has one. She is an extremely Some songs need to go to radio immediately gifted singer/songwriter and an artist with for a variety of reasons. Others that become Breaking Sales true vision who’ll be with us for a very long massive radio hits may need a running start time. before impacting. It’s really a song-by-song BY TATIANA CIRISANO Last month, Billie Eilish broke the re- decision based on our read and when the cord for most No. 1s ever among soloists time is right. ver the last week, the music at Alternative Airplay. What has been the How has promoting a record changed industry has been overtaken by strategy for Billie at radio? during the pandemic? a new industry buzzword: NFTs, We didn’t rush. Our partner Justin It has and it hasn’t. The basics haven’t or non-fungible tokens. Lubliner, the founder/CEO of Darkroom, changed — good music, good relationships OThese unique digital collectibles are brought Billie to Interscope when she was and good communication are constants. bought and sold with blockchain technol- only 14 years old. Justin has great instincts. We’re getting it done over email and Zoom, ogy, presenting a new and lucrative virtual We released a lot of records at streaming but it will be great when we can safely visit revenue opportunity for artists. As the without taking them to radio. The discus- our friends at radio again. We really miss music industry scrambles to get in on sions with Justin about radio were constant them. the action — and prices skyrocket — the and ongoing. Alternative was the most last several weeks have come with a flurry natural fit, and when it was time, we leaned of NFT announcements from longtime NFT into that format first.