Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen Signal Shift at Radio With Multiple Country Airplay Chart Hits at Once
Written by djfrosty on March 31, 2023
Luke Combs, whose new LP, Gettin’ Old, was released March 24 on River House/Columbia Nashville, places six titles, all from the set, on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated April 8).
Dating to the ranking’s 1990 inception, Combs ties the record for the most titles in the tally’s top 60 by a single artist at once, excluding holiday fare. The feat has been achieved just five times – and now twice within a month, as Morgan Wallen logged six on the March 18 survey, concurrent with the chart launch of his new album, One Thing at a Time (on Big Loud/Mercury Republic).
Before that, Blake Shelton last earned the honor in 2017, following Kenny Chesney in 2008 and Garth Brooks in 1997.
Combs’ 15th Country Airplay No. 1, “Going, Going, Gone,” which led the list for two frames in March, ranks at No. 4, with 23.6 million impressions March 24-30, according to Luminate. His others (all debuts) on the current chart: “Five Leaf Clover” (No. 48); “Love You Anyway” (No. 49); “Still” (No. 57); “Growin’ Up and Getting’ Old” (No. 58) and “Hannah Ford Road” (No. 59).
Also on the newest Country Airplay chart, Wallen boasts two tracks scaling the top 20: promoted country single “One Thing at a Time” (18-13; 13.8 million, up 18%) and pop/country hit, and former Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, “Last Night” (22-18; 10.2 million, up 28%). (The latter concurrently pushes 24-23 on Adult Pop Airplay and 26-24 on Pop Airplay.)
For a format accustomed to acts climbing Country Airplay with one single over months, Steve Hodges, Sony Music Nashville executive vice president says, “Radio seems to realize the value of exposing more than just one song at a time from a superstar artist.”
“I’m excited to see radio continuing to invest in our format’s core artists,” muses Big Loud vp of promotion Ali Matkosky. “In a time where listeners are pointing out daily what they want to hear [via streaming services], it makes more and more sense to lean into that data.”
‘Country’ Hit
Elsewhere, Tyler Hubbard notches his second Country Airplay top 10 as a soloist, as “Dancin’ in the Country” twirls 12-10 (17 million, up 23%).
The song follows “5 Foot 9,” which led for a week last November.
Florida Georgia Line, comprising Hubbard and Brian Kelley, has posted 19 Country Airplay top 10s, including 16 No. 1s.