State Champ Radio Publishers Quarterly
Sony Music Publishing swept Billboard’s Publishers Quarterly rankings for the first three months of 2024 — its fifth consecutive quarter atop the Top Radio Airplay and Hot 100 Songs lists.
Sony also had a piece of the song that ruled both charts — Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me.” The other top 10 publishers with a stake in the song: Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), Warner Chappell Music and Kobalt.
The first quarter’s top songwriter on the Hot 100 Songs ranking was Noah Kahan. He landed at the peak due to two songs, including the No. 10 track on the chart, “Stick Season.” Not surprisingly, on Top Radio Airplay, Taylor Swift was the No. 1 songwriter thanks to the success of three songs on that list, including “Is It Over Now (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” at No. 5.
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Returning to Sony, the publisher finished the quarter with a 29.19% slice of market share on the strength of shares in 66 songs — an improvement over the 64 songs and 27.69% the company claimed in the prior quarter. For the first quarter’s Hot 100 Songs chart, Sony ended up with a 28.60% share with 58 songs — again, an improvement over the prior quarter’s 27.14% share, but one song less than the 59 tracks it snared in that quarter.
Sony’s showing marks the 12th quarter in a row that it ranked No. 1 among Top Radio Airplay publishers. Remarkably, it has held the top spot for 25 of the last 26 quarters. On the Hot 100 Songs chart, Sony ranked No. 1 for the fifth consecutive quarter.
Meanwhile, Warner Chappell Music continued its surge, finishing in second place for a second consecutive quarter on both publisher rankings. The publisher increased its quarter-to-quarter market share in both rankings — from 19.12% to 21.93% on Top Radio Airplay and 20.65% to 22.05% on Hot 100 Songs. Warner Chappell’s Top Radio Airplay song count also grew from 54 to 63 quarter to quarter, and its Hot 100 song count ballooned from 44 to 58. It was also No. 1 on the Country Airplay publisher rankings.
UMPG came in third on both charts, posting a stronger showing on the Hot 100 Songs ranking, with a 17.42% share and 43 songs. That’s up from the prior quarter’s 15.78% and 41 songs. Its top track on both charts was Harlow’s “Lovin on Me.” On Top Radio Airplay, UMPG posted a 14.65% share with a stake in 44 songs, down from the prior quarter’s 18.47% and 48 songs.
Kobalt and BMG, respectively, came in at No. 4 and No. 5, their usual spots on both publisher rankings. Kobalt upped its game in the Top Radio Airplay category, amassing a 9.65% share of the market with stakes in 31 songs — an improvement over the fourth quarter, when it had an 8.81% share and 30 songs. Kobalt performed even better on the Hot 100 Songs chart with a 10.19% market share, but that was still down from the 10.83% share it had in the fourth quarter of 2023.
BMG’s market share declined on both charts. Its Top Radio Airplay share fell from 6.77% to 5.86% quarter to quarter and from 5.95% to 5.47% on Hot 100 Songs, while its song counts fell from 18 to 14, and from 16 to 14, respectively. Its top song on both charts was Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red,” which ranked No. 7 on the Top Radio Airplay chart and No. 12 on the Hot 100 chart.
The publishers that ranked sixth through ninth on Top Radio Airplay were Concord, Hipgnosis Songs Group, Tracy Chapman’s Purple Rabbit Music and Pulse in that order. Concord held steady at No. 6 for its second consecutive quarter, albeit down slightly from 3.71% in the fourth quarter to 3.38%. Its song count also fell from 14 to 10. On the other hand, Hipgnosis rose from No. 9 last quarter to No. 7, growing its market share from 1.48% to 2.29%, even though its song placement on the chart stayed the same — six —in both quarters. The wattage of Luke Combs’ cover of “Fast Car” finally seems to be fading as Purple Rabbit’s market share decreased from 2.07% to 1.67%, despite holding on to its No. 8 berth for a second quarter. Pulse traded places with Hipgnosis, falling from No. 7 in the fourth quarter with a 2.66% share to No. 9 in the first with 1.52%.
On the Hot 100 publisher ranking, Purple Rabbit fared better, rising from No. 7 to No. 6 quarter-to-quarter thanks to a slight uptick in market share from 1.99% to 2.06%. Likewise, Pulse rose from No. 10 to No. 8 over the same period, its market share growing from 1.31% to 1.96%. And Hipgnosis returned to the Hot 100 chart after being absent since the fourth quarter of 2022. Its 1.59% share put it in ninth place. Big Machine took Top Radio Airplay’s tenth slot, returning to that ranking for the first time sinced the fourth quarter of 2022. And Empire Publishing made its Billboard Publishers Quarterly debut at No. 10 on the Hot 100 list, with a 0.97% share, based on the strength of three song placements: Justin Timberlake’s “Selfish,” 310babii’s “Soak City (Do It)” and Morgan Wallen’s “Spin You Around.”
Last Quarter: Taylor Swift and Doja Cat Score Top Songs
Sony Music Publishing (SMP) won the quarter and the year on Billboard’s last Top Radio Airplay and Hot 100 Songs publishers rankings of 2023, while Warner Chappell held on to second place on the Hot 100 and took the No. 2 spot on Top Radio Airplay as well.
Taylor Swift and Doja Cat swapped the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the song rankings, with Doja’s “Paint the Town Red” winning Top Radio Airplay and Swift’s “Cruel Summer” taking the top spot on Hot 100 Songs.
The holidays added extra jingle to the late Johnny Marks’ royalty statement. He ranked as the top songwriter with four of his holiday classics on Hot 100 Songs, including Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” which ranked No. 6.
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Meanwhile, Ashley Gorley had a huge quarter as the leading songwriter on the Top Radio Airplay and Top Country Radio rankings, with nine and 16 song placements on the charts, respectively. His biggest hit on both was Morgan Wallen’s “Thinkin’ Bout Me.”
Although SMP topped both rankings, its market share and song count dipped across the board. Its Top Radio Airplay share declined from 30.06% in the third quarter to 27.69% and from a staggering 70 songs to a still-massive 64. On the Hot 100 Songs ranking, the publisher’s market share fell from 30.18% to 27.14% quarter to quarter, and its song placement dropped from 63 to 59. SMP’s top track for the quarter was “Cruel Summer.”
And after a five-quarter run atop the Country Airplay publisher ranking, the company fell to No. 2 with a 22.95% share, down from 28.14%.
Warner Chappell reclaimed the No. 1 Country Airplay spot, which it has held for 22 consecutive quarters before SMP’s ascendance, finishing the quarter with 30.58% of the market, up from 26.20%. That win was part of a stellar quarter for the publisher. Warner Chappell ranked No. 2 on Hot 100 Songs for the second consecutive quarter and was runner-up on Top Radio Airplay for the first time since the third quarter of 2021. Warner Chappell’s Hot 100 Songs market share was 20.65%, up from 18.18%, even though its song count fell from 49 to 44 quarter to quarter. Its Top Radio Airplay share rose more than three percentage points, from 15.87% in the third quarter to 19.12%, and its song count increased from 51 to 54. Warner Chappell’s top song was SZA’s “Snooze.”
Universal Music Publishing Group held steady at No. 3 on the Hot 100 Songs list with a 15.78% share, down from the prior quarter’s 17.95%. Song placement also fell from 43 to 41. UMPG’s 18.47% of the Top Radio Airplay market — down from 21.16% in the previous quarter, when it ranked at No. 2 — put it behind Warner Chappell. Its top song in the Hot 100 chart was “Cruel Summer,” while in the Top Radio Airplay chart it was “Paint The Town Red.”
Kobalt ranked fourth on both the Hot 100 Songs and the Top Radio Airplay charts, scoring a 10.83% market share with stakes in 29 songs on the former and an 8.81% market share with 30 songs on the latter. Kobalt’s showings on both tallies were down from the previous quarter when it had 11.33% market share with 36 songs on Hot 100 Songs and 9.94% market share with 31 songs on the Top Radio Airplay chart. Its top song in both charts was “Paint the Town Red.”
BMG moved up a position from last quarter on Top Radio Airplay to No. 5, growing its market share from 3.23% to 6.77%. Its song placements grew from 10 to 18. On the Hot 100 Songs chart, BMG stayed at No. 5, growing market share from 4.57% to 5.95% and placements from 11 to 16, also including “Paint the Town Red.”
Concord jumped four places from the prior quarter on the Top Radio Airplay rankings, growing its market share from 1.37% to 3.71% and more than doubling its song placements from six in the third quarter to 14. Its top song on that chart was Paul Russell’s “Lil Boo Thang” (No. 8). The publisher returned to the Hot 100 Songs ranking, too, landing at No. 8 with a 1.91% market share, led by Tyla’s “Water” (No. 16).
Otherwise, Pulse held steady at No. 7 in the Top Radio Airplay publisher rankings at 2.66% market share, down from 2.80% in the third quarter. Purple Rabbit Music dropped to No. 8 with 2.07% market share from 3.52% as Luke Combs’ version of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” fell from the No. 1 spot in the third quarter to No. 9. Once again, Hipgnosis Songs Group placed No. 9, with a 1.48% share, down from 1.76% in the prior quarter. And Reservoir fell to No. 10 with 1.43% market share from the prior quarter’s No. 8 finish and 1.82% market share. “Cruel Summer” was the Hipgnosis top song while “Snooze” was Reservoir’s top song.
Rounding out the Top 10 for Hot 100 Songs, Johnny Marks St. Nicholas Music ranked No. 6 with 4.96% market share. Purple Rabbit landed at No. 7 with 1.99% market share. peermusic landed at No. 9 with 1.61% market share, making the ranking for the first time since the third quarter of 2020.Pulse finished at No. 10 with 1.31% market share.
Last Quarter: Tracy Chapman + Oliver Anthony Make History
Sony Music Publishing ruled the Top Radio Airplay, Hot 100 Songs and Country Airplay publisher rankings for its third consecutive quarter of 2023, and Warner Chappell Music surged to No. 2 on the Hot 100 Songs chart — the first time it has held the position since the Hot 100 ranking began in 2019.
For the period spanning July through September, all of the big three publishers benefited from shares in the Afrobeats radio hit “Calm Down” by Rema and Selena Gomez. Sony also benefited from stakes in “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen, which hit No. 5 on the Top Radio Airplay chart, and Taylor Swift’s surprise hit “Cruel Summer,” which reached No. 3 on the quarter’s Hot 100 Songs ranking, four years after its initial release due to its placement as the opening song of Swift’s The Eras Tour.
Last quarter, Tracy Chapman’s Purple Rabbit Music publishing company broke into the Hot 100 and Top Radio Airplay charts (ranking No. 7 and No. 10, respectively) for the first time, thanks to Luke Combs’ cover of her 1988 song “Fast Car.” This quarter, her market share as a publisher/songwriter grew even higher. Chapman finished the quarter as the top songwriter on all three charts, propelling Purple Rabbit Music to No. 5 on Top Radio Airplay and No. 6 on both Hot 100 Songs and Country Airplay.
But she wasn’t the only self-published songwriter to make the charts this quarter. As the sole writer of “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Oliver Anthony Music’s publishing company, Christopher Anthony Lunsford Pub Designee, placed at No. 8 on Hot 100 Songs with a 1.49% market share, surpassing such top 10 perennials as Downtown and Reservoir. Like Chapman, Anthony is the sole songwriter of his breakthrough song.
This is the first time that two independent songwriters have broken into the Hot 100 Songs chart at the same time.
Warner Chappell rose to No. 2 on the Hot 100 ranking for the first time in 19 quarters. Previously, it often ranked third or fourth. “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen, “Calm Down” by Rema and Selena Gomez, and 49 other Hot 100 Songs hits accounted for its strong showing of 18.18% of the market share. The publisher held steady in third place on the Top Radio Airplay chart with 15.87% of the market share, and ranked second on the Country Airplay chart with a 26.2% share.
Universal Music Publishing Group took second place on Top Radio Airplay — where its song placements increased to 52 from 49 in the second quarter — and third on Hot 100 Songs. Combs’ “Love You Anyway,” No. 3 on Country Airplay; “Cruel Summer”; and “Calm Down” were UMPG’s highest-ranked songs.
Kobalt held fast to No. 4 on both Top Radio Airplay and Hot 100 Songs but slid to No. 5 on Country Airplay behind BMG. The latter publisher’s share in Jelly Roll’s “Need a Favor” helped it edge past Kobalt’s 4.59% market share with 4.93%.
BMG and Big Machine Music both climbed in the ranks on the Country Airplay charts this quarter. BMG rose from fifth to fourth ranking, thanks to its share of 12 songs on the chart this quarter, including Jelly Roll’s “Need a Favor.” BMM climbed from eighth last quarter (2.57%) to seventh this quarter (2.97%), thanks in part to Luke Bryan’s “But I Got a Beer In My Hand.”
Concord finished 10th on Top Radio Airplay with 1.37%. That percentage might rise in the fourth quarter due to its acquisitions of Round Hill Music and Mojo Music & Media in September. If Concord’s third-quarter market share was combined with those of Round Hill and Pulse, which Concord also owns but lists separately, it would have finished at No. 5 on Top Radio Airplay with 4.96% and at No. 7 on Hot 100 Songs with 3.1%.
Rounding out the top 10, Reservoir fell to No. 8 on Top Radio Airplay with 1.82%, though it improved on its No. 7-ranked second-quarter share of 1.62%. It rounded out the Hot 100 Songs top 10 with 1.17%. Hipgnosis (1.76%) and Downtown (1.44%) finished at No. 9 on Top Radio Airplay and Hot 100 Songs, respectively.
Additional reporting by Ed Christman.
Sony Music Publishing earned the top publisher ranking on the Top Radio Airplay, Hot 100 Songs and Country Airplay charts for the first two quarters of 2023. That dominance came thanks, in part, to stakes in “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus (No. 1 on Top Radio Airplay for the second quarter), “Last Night” by Morgan Wallen (No. 1, Hot 100 Songs) and “Dancin’ in the Country” by Tyler Hubbard (No. 1, Country Airplay).
BMG-affiliated Pedro Julian Tovar Oceguera Jr. earned the top songwriter ranking on Hot 100 Songs in the second quarter for penning “Ella Baila Sola” by Eslabon Armado x Peso Pluma. Country hit-maker and SMP signee Ashley Gorley held the top songwriter spot on Top Radio Airplay.
Tracy Chapman’s publishing company, Purple Rabbit Music, made an impressive showing at No. 10 and No. 7 on the Top Radio Airplay and Hot 100 Songs rankings, respectively, thanks to Luke Combs’ cover of her 1988 hit “Fast Car.” With that song alone, Chapman held 2.32% of all publishing market share for the Hot 100 Songs chart in the second quarter.
SMP once again grew its share of the 100 Top Radio Airplay songs, to 31.46% from 30.26% in the first quarter. The number of shares it held in songs on the ranking also rose quarter to quarter, from 66 to 69. That makes nine quarters in a row that Sony has summited the Top Radio Airplay chart.
Though SMP also remained in the top slot of the Hot 100 Songs ranking, its share fell from 30.56% in the first quarter to 27.67% in the second. The songs it had on that chart also dipped, from 67 to 60.
Universal Music Publishing Group scored big with top songs “Calm Down” by Rema & Selena Gomez and “Kill Bill” by SZA. The publisher held on to its No. 2 spot on both Hot 100 Songs and Top Radio Airplay. While UMPG grew its Top Radio Airplay market share quarter to quarter from 21.26% to 22.59% and increased its song share from 48 to 49, the publisher slipped from 23.45% to 21.32% on the Hot 100 Songs ranking over the same period. Its song count also dropped from 52 to 51. For the second consecutive quarter, UMPG’s top Hot 100 song was “Kill Bill.”
Warner Chappell Music held the No. 3 spot on both the Top Radio Airplay and Hot 100 Songs charts (as well as No. 2 on Country Airplay). The publisher’s Top Radio Airplay market share dropped to 17.21% from 20.71% in the first quarter, and its song count fell from 52 to 45. Its top song was Cyrus’ “Flowers.”
Warner Chappell’s Hot 100 Songs market share also dropped, from 21.73% to 19.94%, even as its song count remained the same at 47.
Kobalt held steady at the number four spot on each of the three lists – with the help of “Last Night” by Wallen and “Creepin” by Metro Boomin. Though it is notably smaller than the three majors, Kobalt held 9.61% of market share on the Top Radio Airplay charts with shares in 36 songs — up from 8.72% and 31 songs in the previous quarter — and 8.80% of the Hot 100, with 31 songs — up from 6.89% and 26 songs.
BMG finished fifth on all three rankings thanks in large part to “You” by Dan + Shay, “Ella Baila Sola” by Eslabon Armado x Peso Pluma and “Boy’s a Liar” by PinkPantheress. BMG earned 2.83% of the second-quarter Radio Airplay market with eight songs on the chart, down from 3.28% and 11 songs from the previous quarter. The publisher ended the quarter with a 4.68% Hot 100 Songs share from nine songs — most notably, the surprise hit, “Ella Baila Sola” — more than double its 2.13% first quarter market share and enough to leapfrog it over Pulse for a fifth-place finish.
Another Latin hit, Peso Pluma’s “Por Las Noches,” put Downtown back on the Hot 100 ranking. The publisher finished the second quarter with a 2.8% share from six songs.
Pulse maintained its No. 6 ranking on Radio Airplay with a 1.93% market share and a share of six songs on the chart; the biggest being Cyrus’ “Flowers.”
Reservoir re-entered the Top Radio Airplay ranking with a 1.62% share after sitting out the first quarter. The publisher’s return had a lot to do with Kane Brown’s “Thank God.” The publicly traded independent fell from No. 9 to No. 10 on the Hot 100 scorecard. It also ranked ninth on country radio airplay aided by its shares of “Snooze” by SZA and “Tennessee Orange” by Megan Moroney, respectively.
Hipgnosis rose two slots from No. 10 to No. 8 on Top Radio Airplay, although it gained only 0.15 percentage points in market share (from 1.40% in Q1 to 1.55% in Q2). This bump resulted largely from the 2020 hit “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals which is still holding strong at pop radio.
Anthem dropped from No. 8 to No. 9 on the Radio Airplay ranking despite a minuscule 0.02 percentage point drop in market share quarter-to-quarter, from 1.47% to 1.45%. Meanwhile, Vim Music made the publisher rankings for the first time thanks to placing two songs on the quarter’s Hot 100 chart, with its top song, Chino Pacas’ “El Gordo Trae El Mando,” coming in at No. 68. That placed Vim Music –the publishing company of Mexican label Rancho Humilde co-owner Jimmy Humilde and Fuerza Regida lead singer JOP — at No. 9 with a 1.48% share.
METHODOLOGYFor the Top 10 Publishers Top Radio Airplay chart, percentage calculations were based upon the overall top 100 detecting songs from 2,968 U.S. radio stations electronically monitored by Mediabase (and provided through Luminate) 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the period of March 31 to June 29. For the Top 10 Publishers Hot 100 Songs, percentage calculations were based upon the top 100 songs as ranked by Billboard Hot 100 points calculated from Luminate-compiled digital sales and streaming data and Mediabase-tracked radio airplay detections during the same period as above, reflecting the issue dates of April 15 through July 8. Publisher information for musical works on both charts has been identified by the Harry Fox Agency. A “publisher” is defined as an administrator, copyright owner and/or controlling party.
After sharing No. 1 with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) for three consecutive quarters, Sony Music Publishing swept Billboard’s Publishers Quarterly report for the first 90 days of 2023 — including the country music category. The Weeknd’s “Die for You” and Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” were the No. 1 songs on the Top Radio Airplay and Hot 100 publishers rankings, respectively, while SZA took top songwriter honors.
Sony’s 30.26% market share of the 100 Top Radio Airplay songs rose from 28.89% in the fourth quarter of 2022 and marked its eighth consecutive quarter in the No. 1 spot. The number of shares it held in songs on the ranking was also up quarter to quarter, from 64 to 66.
The publisher also finished at No. 1 on the Hot 100 publishers ranking, putting an end to UMPG’s remarkable three-consecutive-quarter streak at No. 1 with over 30% of the market — the first since that ranking was instituted in 2019. Sony returned to first place with a 30.56% share amassed from stakes in 67 songs, a huge gain over its No. 2 showing in the previous quarter, when it posted a 22.71% market share tied to shares in 58 tunes.
Sony also notched its third consecutive quarter as the No. 1 publisher on the Country Airplay list.
UMPG finished No. 2 on the Hot 100 ranking after its market share dropped from 31.63% to 23.45% quarter to quarter and its song count declined from 63 to 52. Compared with the previous year, however, UMPG’s first-quarter performance was up more than three percentage points.
Although the publisher remained firmly in second place on the Top Radio Airplay ranking, its market share fell from 25.66% in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 21.26% in the first quarter. Its share of songs also declined, from 52 to 48.
Warner Chappell Music finished third on both rankings and showed improved performance on each. The publisher scored a 20.71% market share on Top Radio Airplay — up almost five percentage points from the previous quarter’s 15.73% — and 21.73% on the Hot 100 ranking, up from 18.59% in the fourth quarter of 2022. Those gains came from shares in 52 and 47 songs, respectively.
The top songwriter across the board was Solána “SZA” Imani Rowe, who is published by UMPG. She co-wrote eight songs on the Hot 100 ranking and four on Top Radio Airplay. Her top song on both lists was “Kill Bill,” which is No. 2 on the Hot 100 ranking and No. 6 on Top Radio Airplay.
Kobalt held onto its No. 4 spot from the last quarter in both the Top Radio Airplay and Hot 100 rankings.
Despite holding steady, its market share fell from 10.38% in the fourth quarter to 8.72% in the first quarter’s Top Radio Airplay chart, although its share of songs almost doubled, including its top song, “Die For You.” On the Hot 100, Kobalt’s market share improved slightly by 9 basis points to 6.89% from the prior measurement period’s 6.8% and its song count grew to 26, including “Die For You,” from the fourth quarter’s 22 songs.
BMG’s No. 5 placement was due to a slight increase in its Radio Airplay market share, from 3.17% to 3.28% with shares in 11 songs — the same total from the previous quarter. On the flip side, BMG remained in sixth place for the second consecutive quarter on the Hot 100 ranking, even though its market share dropped from 2.38% to 2.13%. It also claimed shares of 8 songs in both quarters, while its top song on both charts for the first quarter was David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue),”which was No. 4 on the Top Radio Airplay chart and No. 8 on the Hot 100 chart.
Pulse Music Group returned to the Radio Airplay rankings at No. 6 — after sitting out the fourth quarter. It posted a 1.69% market share from stakes in five songs, including its top track, “Flowers.” Prior to the fourth quarter, Pulse had placed in the Top Radio Airplay rankings for 12 consecutive quarters, beginning in the fourth quarter of 2019. On the Hot 100 publisher rankings, Pulse jumped five spots to No. 10 to No. 5 with a 2.28% share, more than doubling its No. 10 fourth quarter showing, 1.11%. Pulse’s song count doubled, too, from 3 songs in the prior quarter to 6 tunes in the first quarter.
S.I.A.E. Direzione’s Generale repeated its fourth quarter performance, finishing No. 7 on both charts with a 1.65% share, up from the prior quarter’s 1.38% on the Top Radio Airplay chart, and 1.35%, up from the previous quarter’s 1.24% share of the Hot 100 chart, when it was ranked No. 9. Its top song for both charts was also “I’m Good (Blue).”
Rounding out the Top 10 for the Top Radio Airplay rankings, Anthem, absent from the ranking since the second quarter of 2022, returned at No. 8 with a 1.47% share. Concord fell to No. 9 with a 1.41% share, down from the prior quarter’s No. 6 ranking and 2.19% share. And Hipgnosis Songs Group fell to No. 10 from its No.8 fourth-quarter finish, even though its market share improved to 1.40% from the prior period’s 1.29%.
On the Hot 100 ranking, Concord, Reservoir and Anthem all returned to the Top 10 ranking after not making the cut in the fourth quarter. Concord was only absent one quarter; the last time Reservoir made the ranking was the third quarter of 2021, and Anthem’s last time in the top 10 was the first quarter of 2022.
METHODOLOGY
*For the Top 10 Publishers Top Radio Airplay chart, percentage calculations were based upon the overall top 100 detecting songs from 2,941 U.S. radio stations electronically monitored by Mediabase (and provided through Luminate) 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the period of Dec. 30, 2022, to March 30, 2023. For the Top 10 Publishers Hot 100 Songs, percentage calculations were based upon the top 100 songs as ranked by Billboard Hot 100 points calculated from Luminate-compiled digital sales and streaming data and Mediabase-tracked radio airplay detections during the same period as above, reflecting the issue dates of Jan. 14, 2023, through April. 8, 2023. Publisher information for musical works on both charts has been identified by the Harry Fox Agency. A “publisher” is defined as an administrator, copyright owner and/or controlling party.
For the third consecutive quarter, Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group took their usual No. 1 spots on Billboard’s Publishers Quarterly ranking for the last quarter of 2022.
Sony topped the Top Radio Airplay ranking, while UMPG had the biggest share of Hot 100 songs.
Harry Styles and Kid Harpoon (birth name: Thomas Edward Percy Hull) were the top Radio Airplay songwriters, thanks to their collaboration on “As It Was” and two other hits from Styles’ 2022 album, Harry’s House — which Kid Harpoon also produced — that ranked in the quarter. Both songwriters are published by UMG.
Despite that duo’s strong showing, the No. 1 Radio Airplay song for the quarter was Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit.” Five writers are credited, including Lacy as Steve Thomas Lacy Moya, Brittany Foushee, Diana “Wynter” Gordon, Matthew Castellanos, and John Carroll Kirby. The top 10 publishers that have a share in that song are: Sony, UMPG, Warner Chappell and Kobalt.
On the Hot 100 ranking, Taylor Swift, also published by UMG, was the top songwriter and scored the No. 1 song for the quarter, “Anti-Hero.” Thirteen songs from her album midnights, placed in the ranking; Swift co-wrote 12 of them and is the sole author of “Vigilante Shit.” Both Sony and UMPG have stakes in “Anti-Hero.”
Sony’s No. 1 showing on the Top Radio Airplay publishers ranking actually represents its seventh consecutive quarter and 40th time overall at the top of that chart. Its market share slipped to 28.89% from 31.60% in the third quarter of 2022, but its song count was up one, with the publisher placing 64 tunes on the ranking.
On the Hot 100 publishers ranking, Sony’s market share fell more than 7 percentage points, from 29.79% in the third quarter to 22.71% in the fourth, and its song count followed suit, dropping from 64 to 58. That said, the publisher is on a bit of a hot streak when it comes to the Country Radio Airplay publisher ranking: it took the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive quarter, improving its 27.60% third-quarter market share to 28.93%.
UMPG has emerged as a powerhouse in the Hot 100 publisher rankings. For the three consecutive quarters that it finished No.1, its market share has remained above 30% — a feat last achieved by Sony on the Top Radio Airplay chart in 2014.
UMPG’s quarter-to-quarter market share grew from 30.75% to 31.63%, and its song count rose from 60 to 63. The publisher also grew its market share in the Radio Airplay ranking from 23.98% in the third quarter to 25.66% — almost 10 percentage points over No. 3 publisher, Warner Chappell Music, despite a song count that fell from 56 to 52 in the fourth quarter.
On the Radio Airplay ranking, Warner Chappell, Kobalt, and BMG once again held the No. 3 through No. 5 spots, respectively, although Warner Chappell’s quarter-to-quarter market share grew 13.60% to 15.73%. Its song count fell, however, from 48 to 46 tunes.
Kobalt held on to its No. 4 berth despite a significant drop in song placements from the third quarter, from 43 to 34, and a market-share decline from 13.21% to 10.38%. Fifth-ranked BMG eked out a .05 percentage point gain from 3.12% to 3.17%, as a result of boosting its song count from nine to 11.
The success of David Guetta & Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue),” the No. 6 song on the quarter’s top radio chart, resulted in a newcomer making the top 10: the Italian collection society S.I.A.E. Direzione Generale, which is credited as one of the song’s publishers by the Harry Fox Agency. As a result, S.I.A.E. ranked No. 7 on Radio Airplay, with a 1.38% market share, and No. 9 on the Hot 100 publisher ranking with a 1.24% share.
The remainder of the Top Radio Airplay top 10 consists of Concord at No. 6 with 2.19% share, up from the prior quarter’s 1.48% share when it ranked No. 8; at No. 8 for the fourth quarter was Higpnosis, with a 1.29% share, down from the prior quarter’s 1.77% when it ranked No. 6; Downtown held steady at No. 9 with 1.28%, down from 1.59% in the third quarter, and Big Machine at No. 10 with 1.25%.
Christmas music made its usual strong showing in the fourth quarter Hot 100 publisher ranking, vaulting St. Nicholas Music to No. 5 in the ranking with a 6.17% market share, thanks to “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” all of which were written by Johnny Marks. Brenda Lee’s recording of “Rockin’” was the quarter’s No. 6 Hot 100 song.
The holiday season also boosted Dean Kay’s Demi Music to the No. 7 slot on the Hot 100 publisher ranking, solely on the strength of Andy Williams’ “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year,” which gave Desi a 1.91% market share for the quarter. A single song — OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” — also put Downtown in the No. 8 spot.
For the second consecutive quarter, Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group split the top honors in the publisher’s rankings. Sony topped the Top Radio Airplay category with a more than seven percentage point lead over No. 2 UMPG, while the reverse occurred in the Hot 100 Ranking: UMPG squeaked to a No. 1 finish, surpassing Sony by close to one percentage point.
This is each publisher’s second quarter in a row atop those categories.
Harry Styles‘ “As It Was” was the No. 1 song on the Hot 100 for the second quarter in a row and held steady as the No. 2 song on Top Radio Airplay for the same period. Lizzo‘s “About Damn Time” finished first on Top Radio Airplay and No. 2 on Hot 100 Songs, and was the top song for each of the big three publishers in all but one category. Third-quarter top 10 publishers with a stake in “As It Was” are UMPG and Pulse, while UMPG, Sony and Warner Chappell Music each have a share in “About Damn Time.”
Kate Bush‘s Stranger Things-fueled resurgence continued as her Sony-published “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” finished No. 3 on Hot 100 Songs, No. 7 on Top Radio Airplay, and because she is the track’s sole songwriter, established her as the top Hot 100 songwriter of the quarter.
Styles and his main co-writer Kid Harpoon (born Thomas Edward Percy Hull) took top songwriter honors in the Radio Airplay category for authoring “As It Was” and their credits as two of the three songwriters of another Top 10 Radio Airplay hit, “Late Night Talking.”
In Top Radio Airplay, Sony improved its industry leading market share by more than five percentage points over its 25.62% second-quarter showing, even though its song count fell slightly from 64 to 63 tracks. Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” was Sony’s top song on both the Hot 100 and Radio Airplay charts.
No. 2 UMPG’s Radio Airplay market share also grew more than 1.5 percentage points quarter-to-quarter and raising its song placements from 54 to 56. While “About Damn Time” was also UMPG’s top track on the Top Radio Airplay chart, Styles’ “As It Was” was its No. 1 track in the Hot 100.
UMPG held on to its No. 1 Hot 100 Songs ranking for a second quarter, even though its market share was down half a percentage point from its second-quarter 31.25% market, and its song count fell from 67 to 60.
As it did with its Radio Airplay showing, Sony increased its market share by slightly more than five percentage points over its 24.69% second-quarter market share. Its song count also rose from 62 to 64.
Warner Chappell, Kobalt and BMG, respectively ranked No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 on both the Top Radio Airplay and the Hot 100 publisher rankings — an order that has remained for seven consecutive quarters in the Hot 100 rankings and two in a row for Top Radio Airplay.
In Radio Airplay, Warner Chappell’s market share dropped slightly more than two percentage points from last quarter, and its song count from 54 to 48. But the publisher improved its Hot 100 market share by more than one point over the second quarter’s 14.66%, despite its song count dropping from 53 to 49. Warner Chappell’s top song on both charts was “About Damn Time.” Warner Chappell Nashville also gave up its status as the No. 1 country music publisher for 22 consecutive quarters. It slipped to No. 2 behind Sony.
Kobalt held on to No. 4 in both rankings, despite losing market share. For Top Radio Airplay it fell from 14.945% to 13.21% quarter to quarter. For the Hot 100, it dropped more than three percentage points from 11.97% to 8.60%. Likewise, its song count is down for the Hot 100 chart from 53 to 49 while holding steady at 43 for the Top Radio Airplay chart. Jack Harlow’s “First Class,” which was No. 4, was its top Airplay song while Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” at No. 5 is its top Hot 100 song.
BMG also saw market share declines in both rankings, falling to 3.12% from 4.48% in the second quarter for the Top Radio Airplay chart; and to 2.17% from 3.58% for the Hot 100 chart. Its top song on both charts was Harlow’s “First Class,” which was the No. 7 song on the Hot 100.
In the second half of the rankings, Hipgnosis and Pulse Music Group held steady in the No. 6 and No. 7 spots, respectively, for the fourth straight quarter on the Top Radio Airplay rankings, and traded places in the Hot 100 from the second quarter. Both also lost market share from the prior quarter.
While Hipgnosis managed to hold onto its sixth place ranking in the Top Radio Airplay chart, its market share fell to 1.77% from 2.65% in the second quarter. In the Hot 100, it fell to 2.01% from 2.76% in second quarter, which led to the publisher falling from No. 6 to No. 7. Glass Animals’ “Heatwave” was its top song in both charts and finished No. 12 on both.
Pulse Music also dropped market share, falling to a 2.07% share in the Hot 100 from 2.76% in the second quarter but still went up one spot in the rankings to No. 6.; while over in the Top Radio Airplay rankings its tally fell to 1.6% from 2% in the second quarter. Its top song was Styles’ “As It Was.”
On the Radio Airplay chart, three publishers came close to tying: Pulse’s 1.607% was closely followed by No. 8 Concord with 1.597% and No. 9 Downtown at 1.593%. Round Hill Music rounded out the rankings with 1.05%. For the Hot 100, the same three publishers held down the last three spots albeit in different positions with Round Hill at No. 8 Concord at No. 9 and Downtown at No. 10.
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