Oliver Anthony
Country music is having a major mainstream moment.
Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” spent 16 nonconsecutive weeks from March to August at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, claiming the undisputed song of the summer crown — and is one of four country songs to top both the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts in 2023, the most in a year since 1975.
And Wallen’s success story is far from the genre’s only recent standout. Thanks to artists like Luke Combs, whose cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” spent eight weeks at No. 2 on the Hot 100, and Zach Bryan, whose breakthrough single, “Something in the Orange,” reached the top 10 of the Hot 100 while his album American Heartbreak reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200, country music consumption surged in the United States for the first half of 2023. According to Luminate, it was up 20.3% compared with 2.5% growth during the same period in 2022 — and that was before Jason Aldean’s polarizing track, “Try That in a Small Town,” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100; before Appalachian breakout Oliver Anthony Music dominated headlines with his viral populist anthem, “Rich Men North of Richmond”; and before Bryan topped both the Hot 100 and Billboard 200.
Whether that commercial surge will translate to Grammy nominations on Nov. 10 — and in particular to a long overdue showing for country artists in the general-field categories — could prove one of the more compelling narratives this awards season, particularly with country outliers Anthony and Bryan potentially leading the way.
“Country music [is at] peak awareness right now, and the industry people that vote have an opportunity to recognize that or not,” says Joey Moi, Big Loud partner/president of A&R, as well as Wallen’s producer. “You’re looking at two or three artists [from the country format] that are hanging up there with the big kids.”
Country has often been neglected when it comes to Grammy nominations in the general-field categories — album, record and song of the year and best new artist, for which all 13,000 Recording Academy members can vote. (Starting with the 2024 Grammys, the so-called Big Four becomes the Big Six, with the addition of songwriter of the year, non-classical and producer of the year, non-classical moving into the general field.)
Five Grammy Award cycles have occurred since nominations in the Big Four categories were increased from five to eight and then to 10 contenders, and there have been 196 total Big Four nominations in that time — yet only six have gone to mainstream country artists or projects, with just one victory: Kacey Musgraves’ album of the year trophy for Golden Hour in 2019. (The nominees will revert to eight per category for the 2024 awards.)
But recognition of many of these songs beyond only country audiences could shift the dynamic this year. Anthony went from obscurity to instant household name with “Rich Men North of Richmond,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in August. “Rich Men” was submitted for record and song of the year, though not in any country categories, nor was Anthony entered into consideration for best new artist. (His manager did not respond to a request for comment on the submissions.)
Should “Rich Men” receive a song or record of the year nod — or even a win — it would not be the first time voters have marked their ballots for a song with a message. At the 2019 ceremony, Childish Gambino’s commentary on institutional racism, “This Is America,” won song and record of the year. Two years later, “I Can’t Breathe,” H.E.R.’s poignant take on George Floyd’s murder, won song of the year.
But though “Rich Men” has enjoyed a kind of flashpoint notoriety — the song was even referenced at the Republican presidential debate in August — that may not translate to Grammy votes.
“Artists who have huge moments still have to consider who’s voting,” one Grammy consultant says, noting that voters aren’t the fans who propelled “Rich Men” to No. 1 but creatives who make music. And while the timing of Anthony’s breakthrough means he is fresh in voters’ minds as they mark their ballots, that could also work against him. “I don’t know if the industry is going to wait and hold off to see if [he] has legs or it’s a flash in the pan,” one Grammy voter says. “If this happened in March or April and maintained through the year, we’d have a much clearer story. [He’s] kind of starting the race about five minutes later than everybody else.”
Bryan — who, unlike Anthony, is entered in several country categories as well as album, song and record of the year — may have a different experience. Unlike the self-released Anthony, he is signed to Warner Records, which has the infrastructure to run a campaign for him. His success has built steadily over the past 18 months and extends beyond one song and one format, or as the Grammy voter puts it: “He has had a career that has grown and gathered some roots.” Bryan and past Grammy favorite Musgraves debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with their duet, “I Remember Everything,” from his self-titled album that entered the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums at No. 1. And when it comes to the general-field categories, he could draw from a particularly broad base of voters: His self-titled set, which arrived Aug. 25, also launched atop the Top Rock Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Americana/Folk Albums charts.
By creating their own nontraditional paths, Anthony and Bryan could, ironically, achieve recognition that some of country’s most respected artists have not: None of Miranda Lambert’s 27 career Grammy nods have been in the general-field categories, while only one of Chris Stapleton’s 17 nominations has been. Whether they also end up distracting from the work of their more conventional country peers in the general categories remains to be seen. Adds the Grammy voter: “I don’t know if people are aware of a lot of the other great country records that may have been out there over the year — they’ve taken up so much air in the room.”
Additional reporting by Jessica Nicholson.
This story will appear in the Oct. 7, 2023, issue of Billboard.
He is one of the most sought after artists in the agency world and now he finally has major a booking team behind him.
Oliver Anthony has signed with UTA for exclusive worldwide representation in all areas.
“We’re honored to represent such an authentic artist, and excited to put together a global strategy to bring Oliver Anthony and his music to the people,” shared UTA co-head of Nashville Jeffrey Hasson and music agent Curt Motley in a statement to Billboard. Some of UTA’s other clients include Brittney Spencer, Megan Moroney, Parmalee, Elvie Shane, Ian Munsick and Jamey Johnson, who has performed recently with Anthony.
The “Rich Men North of Richmond” singer’s profile skyrocketed in August after a performance video went viral, generating more than 69 million views on Youtube and leading to a historic No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With that song, Anthony became the first artist ever to top the chart without having appeared on it previously.
“Rich Men North of Richmond” is also the first song by a solo male to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts simultaneously. The Farmville, Virginia, native’s other songs — such as “Ain’t Gotta Dollar,” “90 Some Chevy” and “I Want to Go Home” — have also earned solid streaming numbers.
A quick bidding war followed, with music executives from all around the country to try to sign the hot new phenom. One label head told Billboard at the time, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before.” Rapper Gucci Mane even posted on Instagram that he wanted to sign Anthony to his label and needed help finding him. Anthony, who sings of populist ideals that have grown him a grassroots following, seemed largely nonplussed by the newfound attention. He told social media followers he was determined not to make any rash decisions and that he had turned down record deals worth upwards of $8 million.
Meanwhile, Anthony has continued to perform for his new fanbase with a number of regional shows that have grown from the Eagle Creek Golf Club and Grill in Moyock, N.C., on Aug. 19, to Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge’s annual block party in Nashville last weekend on Sept. 17, where he notably performed with a full band for the first time. While in Nashville, Anthony apparently made his new agreement with UTA — marking his first major deal since breaking out.
Coming up, Anthony is slated to perform two sets at the upcoming Louder Than Life Festival, which opens Thursday (Sept. 21) and runs through Sept. 24 at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky. And then he has a sold out show at Smokies Stadium in Sevier County, Tenn., scheduled for Sept. 28.
Earlier this month, Anthony canceled a Sept. 27 concert at Cotton Eyed Joe in Knoxville, Tenn., due to a disagreement over ticket prices, which were listed at $99 and $199 for a meet and greet. Anthony posted to social media discouraging his fans from buying the tickets, explaining that he didn’t agree to those prices. Anthony explained his friend had been acting as his booking agent and he booked the show without asking what the ticket prices were. (The venue later responded, saying the high prices were the only way it could cover Anthony’s $120,000 booking fee.) Anthony continued to say his shows “never cost more than $40, ideally no more than $25,” pointing out that two of his four recent shows were “completely free.”
When Anthony’s co-manager Draven Riffe spoke with Billboard in August, he said the artist is “very passionate about bringing other unknown, unheard musicians up and helping them get their music out as well” — and that help also means providing jobs for those in Anthony’s community where he can. “We’re doing all the booking ourselves,” Riffe said, adding the Anthony is booked through the end of the year. “We’re trying to keep everything in-house as much as we can… If we could have a hand in helping get a person a job they’ll love then we want to do that rather than contracting it out to something that we don’t even know where the money is going.”
Additional reporting by Jessica Nicholson.
Thanks to only guitar and vocals, and lyrics that have commanded the attention of the both the right and left politically, Anthony Oliver Music’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” soars in at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Aug. 29). How do the song’s characteristics compare to those of other hits that have […]
On Aug. 14, days after Oliver Anthony performed before thousands at the Morris Farm Market in Currituck County, N.C., Mike “Moose” Smith did something he hadn’t done in 40 years. The program director for 97.3 The Eagle, in nearby Norfolk, Va., aired the unknown singer-songwriter’s viral smash — “Rich Men North of Richmond” — once every hour. “That was called the Special Oliver Anthony Rotation,” Smith says. “My general manager called on Sunday and said, ‘What do you know about this guy?’ My music director was on vacation. I hand-scheduled it.”
“Rich Men,” a twangy country-folk song recorded on a single microphone somewhere on Anthony’s land in Farmville, Va., rails against high taxes and “the obese milkin’ welfare” and has become a conservative anthem, championed by Joe Rogan, Breitbart and country star John Rich. In the week of Aug. 17, it streamed 17.5 million times and sold 147,000 downloads, according to Luminate. Based on downloads and streaming alone, the song debuted at No. 1 on Billboard‘s all-genre Hot 100 chart. Some country radio stations have picked “Rich Men,” giving it 553,000 airplay audience impressions despite zero promotion the week of Aug. 17. From Aug. 18 to Aug. 21. If the radio-playlist trend continues, the track should make its debut on Billboard’s Sept. 2 Country Airplay chart.
Few radio stations, including 97.3 The Eagle, add new artists to their playlists — especially those with no label promoting it– but listeners were calling in to request Oliver’s track. “It makes it hard to ignore,” Smith says. “If our audience wants it, it’s our job to give it to them.”
Not every station has succumbed to the viral hype. The song has a rickety feel — not exactly a seamless transition from the slick Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs hits atop Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. And “Rich Men” has been politically divisive, with progressive pundits decrying its conservative populism. Bruce Logan, operations manager for Hubbard Radio in West Palm Beach, Fla., hasn’t added it to his stations’ playlists. “We are talking about how we should approach it. It’s unusual,” he says. “In theme, it is certainly working man/woman blue-collar, which the format has a long history with. Sonically, it is closer to bluegrass than mainstream country.”
In San Jose, Calif., streaming-only country station KRTY hasn’t picked it up, either, because the track is unfamiliar and Anthony has no experience as a recording or touring artist. The station seldom jumps on hyped-up hits from American Idol or The Voice, according to GM Nate Deaton, its general manager.
“From a radio standpoint, that kind of thing is not really what we do best. I’ve never been big on the following-the-trend thing,” Deaton says. “We’ve always played songs we’ve believed in, too, and I’m not necessarily sure I believe in this song. I’m not necessarily sure it’s better than what I’m playing. Whose place do I take in the playlist?”
But some stations, big and small, have been comfortable with Anthony’s organic, do-it-yourself stardom, adding “Rich Men” to playlists within weeks of its release. Several stations owned by radio chain Audacy, including KMLE Country 107.9 in Phoenix and 100.7 The Wolf in Seattle, have given the track more than 25 spins apiece since it first aired Aug. 14. Stations owned by iHeartMedia and Cumulus have jumped on it less frequently, according to Mediabase. (An Audacy rep declined comment; iHeart’s rep did not respond to a request.)
Although he did not respond to follow-up questions about adding the song to stations’ playlists, Charlie Cook, vp country for broadcast chain Cumulus, said in a statement: “Americans are looking for answers to problems they encounter every day. While this song doesn’t offer solutions to those problems, it does verbalize the issues and has given listeners an opportunity to hear about their frustrations in a collective situation. Most of them can say, yeah, that’s how I feel, and they become part of a bigger movement to help them have a voice.” Just a few Cumulus stations have added “Rich Men,” beginning with New Country 101.Five in Atlanta, which spun it six times from Aug. 18 to Aug. 21.
In Santa Maria, Calif., Sunny 102.5 quickly added “Rich Men” on a “light” rotation of 20 spins per week — shortly after airing Jason Aldean‘s just-as-hyped-and-divisive track “Try That In a Small Town” (and, in the early 2000s, music by The Chicks after right-wing listeners burned the country trio’s CDs for criticizing President Bush and the Iraq War).
“If you don’t play it, you’re censoring the airwaves, I say,” says Jay Turner, program director for the station owned by smaller California-and-Southwest chain American General Media. “We’ve gotten very little, if any, pushback on either Jason Aldean or ‘Rich Men.’ None at all. I can’t see anybody pushing back on ‘Rich Men,’ because it’s real. It’s $5.25 to buy gas in Santa Barbara.
“My guess is it’s going to flash fast and it’s going to end fast. Stations aren’t going to be playing it forever. It’s not going to be in malls,” Turner continues. “It just sounds like hillbilly hick stuff. You put it up against a Maren Morris record, or a pop record, it sounds like you’ve gone back 30 years in time. But it’s a freaking great song. He’s pouring his heart out.”
On the heels of his history-making No. 1 with the viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Oliver Anthony Music dropped a video for his new single, “I Want To Go Home.” The acoustic ballad — which was originally uploaded to TikTok in March — got a new video on Tuesday (Aug. 22). It is another meditation on what ails the nation, which in Anthony’s telling includes mental illness, fears of war, urban spread, the loss of family farms and the lack of prayer in our lives.
“If it won’t for my old dogs and the good Lord/ They’d have me strung up in the psych ward/ ‘Cause every day livin’ in this new world/ Is one too many days to me,” Anthony sings in the first verse in his signature about-to-break voice in lines that appear to allude to the singer’s talk of pre-fame struggle with mental illness and alcohol use.
The clouds grow darker in the second verse, where he sings, “Son, we’re on the brink of the next world war/ And I don’t think nobody’s prayin’ no more/ And I ain’t sayin I know it for sure/ I’m just down on my knees,” before breaking into the chorus, which closes a circle by alluding to his breakthrough hit while providing a more personal perspective.
“Beggin’, Lord, take me home/ I wanna go home/ I don’t know which road to goIt’s been so long/ I just know I didn’t used to wake up feelin’ this way/ Cussin’ myself every damn day/ There’s always some kind of bill to pay/ People just doin’ what the rich men say/ I wanna go home,” he croons in the plainspoken visual, in which he strums an acoustic guitar in the woods surrounded by his pickup truck and his trusty dog.
The final verse laments the loss of long-held family farms sold to out-of-town speculators who clear-cut trees to make room for more asphalt jungles. As the final note rings out in the video, the screen fills with a Bible quote from Mark 8:36 about the folly of choosing material riches over salvation: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the world, and lose his own soul?”
Previously unknown former factory worker from Virginia Anthony (born Christopher Anthony Lunsford) made a historic jump to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart this week, leaping past such pop megastars as Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Dua Lipa in addition to more established country stars Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs. In doing so, the singer became the first unsigned artist to make that jump directly to the top, as well as the first to run straight to No. 1 without any prior chart history in any form thanks to the song that has been embraced and boosted by right-wing pundits and Fox News.
“I Want To Go Home” is among a dozen originals and covers Anthony has uploaded over the past three years and though the singer’s just-folks style and focus on heartland issues have instantly boosted his working man profile, Billboard estimated this week that he’s earned over $350,000 in royalties so far thanks to his “Rich Men” breakthrough.
“In our opinion, God has chosen to speak through Oliver and to speak to all Americans through his music, all around the world,” the singer’s co-manager Draven Riffe told Billboard over the weekend in explaining his client’s shock success. “We’ve gotten comments from Zimbabwe, every country you could think of.”
Though Anthony has kept a low profile during his rocket rise, mostly eschewing promotional social media teases and posts while preferring to let “Rich Men” do the talking, he did grant an interview to right-wing channel Fox News over the weekend at the site of his free show in Moyock, N.C.
“We are the melting pot of the world,” he said in the chat, adding, “and that’s what makes us strong, our diversity. And we need to learn to harness that and appreciate it and not use it as a political tool to keep everyone separate from it.” The inclusive comment struck a bum note for some conservatives, however, who accused the singer of turning his back on them.
“Such a let down. Did he sell out already to the rich men north of Richmond?,” wrote one. “Damn, though we had a real one. He switched up fast,” said another.
Watch the “I Want To Go Home” video below.
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Artists have long complained that streaming pays poverty wages — fractions of a cent per stream — and increases the difficulty of sustaining a recording career through a slow trickle of royalties. Some conservative-leaning artists are proving to be an exception to the rule with fans who still buy downloads at a time when streaming dominates music consumption.
Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond” became a surprise hit — and could reach No. 1 on the Hot 100 — thanks to a confluence of two factors: As we’ve seen with several other songs recently, when a song gets caught up in — or leans into — the American culture wars, conservatives often buy downloads. “Rich Men North of Richmond” was an instant success: From Aug. 10 — the day with the first sales and audio streaming activity — to Aug. 15, daily U.S. streams went from zero to nearly 700,000 in just two days, according to Luminate, while daily U.S. downloads went from zero to more than 20,000 in each of the next four days. To put that in context, in a typical week the top track on the Hot 100 might sell 15,000 downloads.
In the seven-day period ended Aug. 15, “Rich Men North of Richmond” had 11.2 million on-demand audio streams that earned him roughly $40,000, Billboard estimates. But the track amassed an impressive 117,000 track downloads that netted Anthony about $81,000 — or 65% of the royalties earned from U.S. sales and streams. And because the track is distributed by DistroKid, which charges a flat fee for distribution, and owned by Anthony, he pockets the entire amount. Although the YouTube video hosted by radiowv has 21.6 million views, Luminate shows no video streams for the recording and Billboard does not know if Anthony is earning royalties from YouTube.
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Such high download sales make “Rich Men North of Richmond” an outlier in popular music. More often than not, a No. 1 track on the Hot 100 gets most of its revenue from streaming. Download sales have fallen precipitously in recent years and accounted for just 1.1% of U.S. track equivalent albums year to date, according to Luminate. On the most recent Hot 100, for the week of Aug. 19, Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping “Last Night” generated about 80% of its revenue from 20.8 million on-demand audio streams compared to just 5% from 5,000 track downloads. When Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” topped the chart for a week in July, 81% of its revenue came from 31.3 million on-demand audio streams compared to 6% from 9,000 track downloads.
Some people have speculated that the song’s instant success must be the result of astroturfing — the use of fake grass-roots campaigns to gain public awareness. The themes in “Rich Men North of Richmond” — it criticizes both tax-hungry politicians and poor welfare recipients — struck a chord amongst conservatives and almost overnight became a favorite of rightwing politicians, pundits and instigators such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, Matt Walsh and Kari Lake. While there’s no clear evidence of such a campaign at the moment, the track’s rise was quick even by the standards of today’s internet viral hits.
What’s clearer, though, is that “Rich Men North of Richmond” has a lot in common with K-pop tracks that soar to the top of the Hot 100 because fans buy downloads with the express purpose of getting the artist a good chart position. When Jimin’s “Like Crazy” topped the Hot 100 for a week in April, 241,000 track downloads accounted for 85% of its revenue. When his BTS bandmate Jung Kook hit No.1 with “Seven” in July, 59% of its revenue came from 138,000 downloads.
Conservative music fans act like K-pop fans when it comes to supporting a song. Track purchases helped Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” reach No. 1 on the Hot 100. In the week of Aug. 5, when the track sat atop the chart, 175,000 downloads accounted for 56% of revenue generated from streams and sales, according to Billboard’s estimate. Two weeks ago, “American Flags,” a patriotic song by rapper Tom MacDonald, sold 18,000 track downloads in the week — second only to “Try That in a Small Town” that week. The following week, the No. 11 most downloaded song was “Go Woke Go Broke” by Jokes on Woke, a country song that attacks recent villains in conservative culture such as Bud Light, CMT, Disney, Ford, Adidas and Barbie.
It’s not necessarily just fans voting with their money, though. The shopping habits of conservative-leaning music fans can help explain why Oliver, Aldean and the others have sold so many downloads. Notably, the country music market — which tends to lean conservative — was slower to adopt streaming (however, it has recently been catching up) and sees a higher-than-average level of purchases. Country music accounted for 35% of the top 100 track downloads in the week ended Aug. 10 — and six of the top 10 — while Christian/gospel accounted for 3%. Both genres have less representation on the Hot 100, which also incorporates streaming and radio spins. Country accounted for just 21% of the tracks on the current Hot 100 chart, while Christian/gospel was absent from the chart.
Whether it’s K-pop or country, songs typically can’t count on download sales alone to provide longevity on the charts. “Try That in a Small Town” sales fell 85% in a week, dropping the track from No. 1 to No. 21 on the Hot 100 in the week dated Aug. 12. Similarly, “Like Crazy” fell from No. 1 to No. 45 the week after its peak. As the culture wars quickly move onto the next issue, the lasting endurance of “Rich Men North of Richmond” depends on how many real fans Anthony has made in this time.
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