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During Sunday night’s Super Bowl, Beyoncé dropped two new country-flavored songs, the galloping “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and the more reflective “16 Carriages.” But country radio stations have been initially slow to add the Houston-born superstar.
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In the two songs’ first 24-plus hours of release (from Sunday night through the end of Monday), eight reporters to Billboard’s Country Airplay chart played “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and only one, KBAY San Francisco, played it more than once (two spins), for a total of nine early plays at the format, according to Mediabase. No stations on the country chart’s panel, which ranges from 145-to-150 stations, played “16 Carriages” in that span. Overall, “Texas Hold ‘Em” received over 200 all-format plays, largely on pop radio, in that stretch, while “16 Carriages” drew just a handful of plays. Neither song registered enough plays through Monday to appear on Billboard’s 60-position Country Airplay chart.
The situation at country radio may change, however. On Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 13), Columbia officially serviced “Texas Hold ‘Em” to country radio, whereas it had previously been sent to other formats, according to a source. Country radio has traditionally been reluctant to play songs that aren’t serviced to them or then actively promoted by the label. The two songs are part of Renaissance Act II coming from Beyoncé on March 29. Beyoncé has flirted with country music before, releasing “Daddy Lessons” on 2016’s Lemonade and playing the track with the Dixie Chicks (now The Chicks) on that year’s CMA Awards. That song was not actively worked to country radio, according to a Billboard story at the time, and did not chart at country radio, though it did reach No. 41 on the Hot 100.
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Bo Matthews, programming director of Alpha Media’s KBAY, which played “Texas Hold ‘Em” twice on Monday and continues to play it, says listener reaction has been “split.” He says, “I think it’s different to hear Beyoncé on a country radio station. We’re going to play it more and see if it the audience likes it and let them allow to be the decider as to whether or not it continues to be on the playlist.”
KBAY began playing “Texas Hold ‘Em” before Sony Music serviced to country radio, so Matthews grabbed the edit (which bleeps out the word “b—-”) from one of KBAY’s sister stations playing it, had KBAY’s midday host add it and asked listeners to weigh in. “It’s one of the biggest celebrities in the world doing a country song and I think that’s exciting for the format,” he says.
On Tuesday, the Austin American-Stateman ran a news story based on a social media post claiming country station KYKC in Ada, Oklahoma, flat-out rejected a request to play “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The story included a screenshot of a post from X (formerly Twitter) user @jussatto, who said he had requested the station play the song and received the following response, “Hi, we do not play Beyonce on KYKC as we are a country music station.” Another fan posted another response from the KYKC, saying it will “happily play the song when it gets high enough on the chart.”
These claims immediately sparked a broader online debate over whether country stations would play the song. On Tuesday afternoon, the station, which is not a Mediabase reporter, posted on Facebook that there were “lots of calls coming in” for the song and posted a log showing “Texas Hold ‘Em” played at 2:28 p.m. CT, sandwiched between Zach Bryan’s “Tishomingo” and Carrie Underwood’s “Wasted.”
A source at the station, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Billboard that the initial email response posted on X was from the station’s general manager, who did not know that Beyoncé had released two new country songs. KYKC’s sister Top 40 station had already played the song, and while the country station tends not to add songs until they are in the top 30 on Mediabase, “based on the number of calls we got in, we realized we needed to add it to the country station,” the source says. The song is now in the station’s system and it will continue to play it.
CMT immediately added “Texas Hold ‘Em” to its branded streaming stations and anticipates playing a video once one is released. A number of streaming services, including Spotify and Apple Music have also added it to their playlists. The song is currently on Spotify’s Hot Country playlist and it is No. 1 on iTunes’ Top 100 Songs chart, with “16 Carriages” at No. 2. Neither song appears on iTunes Top 100 Country Song chart, which is dominated by songs from Toby Keith’s catalog, following his death Feb. 5.
Beyoncé is just one of several pop artists planning to release country projects, including Post Malone and Lana Del Rey. Ed Sheeran told Billboard that he’d like to make a country album and a country project recorded by Brian Wilson in the ‘70s, is finally coming out next year, according to Rolling Stone.
Audacy and iHeartRadio country executives did not respond to request for comment. Beyoncé’s representative declined to any answer questions about the releases and the plan at radio.
Assistance on this story provided by Gary Trust.
iHeartMedia received $101.4 million from the sale of BMI, in which it held a minority stake, to New Mountain Capital, the company announced Monday (Feb. 12) through an SEC filing. The sale was finalized on Feb. 8. iHeartMedia had previously announced on Nov. 27 that it expected to receive approximately $100 million from the sale, […]
Eleven months after SiriusXM cut 8% of its workforce, the company announced on Monday (Feb. 12) that it will eliminate another 3% of its staff. The layoffs will impact about 170 jobs based on the company’s head count of 5,680 full-time and part-time employees as of Dec. 31, according to its 2023 annual report.
The cuts will affect every team and business unit and will enable SiriusXM to invest in its content, marketing and technology platform, a company spokesperson told Billboard.
In a memo to staff announcing the cuts, CEO Jennifer Witz used much of the same language that executives at Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Spotify employed to explain decisions to restructure those companies and reduce headcount. Not only is SiriusXM reducing its salary expense, but it’s also building for the future and investing in new technologies.
“We made significant progress on the transformation of our business in 2023, but we have just begun to scratch the surface of what is possible here at SiriusXM,” Witz wrote in the memo. “To continue on our path to future subscriber growth and sustain our Company’s success as the competitive landscape evolves, it’s imperative that we become even more efficient, agile, and flexible. Therefore, today we are making several organizational changes, including the difficult decision to eliminate certain roles, which will allow us to move faster and collaborate more effectively in support of our long-term objectives. From uniting teams and better aligning initiatives, to investing in new technologies that will power our transformation, we are focused on increasing efficiencies and redeploying resources to support the strategic priorities of our business.”
Once-dependable revenue growth has been harder to find as many consumers shift their listening to streaming services. In 2023, SiriusXM’s revenue fell 0.6% to $7.95 billion as the company lost 445,000 self-pay subscribers to its satellite radio service. Despite reducing its headcount to 5,680 from 5,869 during 2023, general and administrative expenses increased 5% to $550 million last year, and its operating margin fell from 22.6% to 21.7% .
SiriusXM is hopeful its revamped streaming app — and a $9.99-per-month price tag, which is lower than the satellite radio service — will attract new subscribers and mark the return of revenue growth. The new app launched Dec. 14 and “is yielding promising signs of improved engagement,” Witz said during the Feb. 1 earnings call. The apps personalization features and reduced latency, along with a redesigned SiriusXM logo, have created “a positive lift in brand perception among the growth audience segments we are looking to attract,” she added.
Investors tend to react positively to news of layoffs made to reduce costs and speed a transformation. Shares of SiriusXM rose as much as 3.1% to $5.05 Monday morning and stood at $5.01, up 2.1%, in the mid-afternoon.
Global Music Rights, the boutique performance rights organization that represents Bruce Springsteen, Bruno Mars, Prince, Drake, Pharrell Williams, John Lennon, Eagles and others, has filed a copyright lawsuit against a Vermont-based group of radio stations that has allegedly played songs for years without a license.
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The lawsuit targeted Vermont Broadcast Associates, which operates seven radio stations serving local communities in Northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Quebec. The complaint, filed in Vermont federal court Thursday, also names Bruce James names as the owner of the company and a defendant.
GMR claims that VBA’s stations have been playing 66 songs in the GMR catalog since 2017 without a license, amounting to 1,600 violations of copyright law, even though the PRO has submitted 10 separate written licenses during that time period.
“Defendants’ infringements were neither incidental nor accidental,” the group’s lawyers write in the complaint.
After being founded by longtime music exec Irving Azoff in 2013, GMR spent years in court litigating over licensing terms with the Radio Music Licensing Committee, the group that negotiates music licensing deals for more than 10,000 member stations. The case finally settled in 2022 with a long-term licensing agreement.
In Thursday’s complaint, GMR claims that VBA is a member of the RMLC but nevertheless ignored “GMR’s communications and chose not to enter into GMR licenses, but continued playing GMR songs on its stations.”
“While we only turn to litigation as a last resort, it is long established U.S. law that GMR’s clients’ copyrighted works cannot be publicly performed without a license,” GMR’s general counsel Emio Zizza said in a statement. “All the radio stations that have entered into a GMR license and are paying their fees deserve the benefit of that license. Station groups who don’t want to pay for a GMR license are not entitled to play GMR’s immensely popular catalog of songs, depriving creators of their due.”
The GMR complaint, filed by the law firms of Lynn Lynn Blackman & Manitsky, P.C.; and O’Melveny & Myers LLP — claims that “GMR is entitled to maximum statutory damages of $150,000” if willful infringement is proven for each song played without a GMR license.
In response to a request for comment, Vermont Broadcast Associates owner Bruce James said by e-mail: “I have been working with Zachary Dekel representing GMR and believe we are licensed.” He added he has contacted Mr. Dekel on Friday morning (Jan. 19) to “resolve any issues.” According to the O’Melveny & Meyers website, Dekel is a litigation counsel with the firm.
In response to James’ comment, GMR representatives say that Dekel reached out to the VBA owner many times but a GMR license was never taken, which is why the lawsuit was filed.
The case is not the first time GMR has gone after radio stations that allegedly failed to pay. In October 2022, the group filed three similar copyright cases against radio stations in California, Connecticut, Florida, claiming each had made the “strategic decision” to simply not pay performance royalties to the group and “hoped to get away with it.”
“Defendants did not get away with it,” GMR’s attorneys wrote at the time. “Its stations have been caught red-handed violating the law.”
The iHeartCountry Festival Presented by Capital One is returning to Austin, Texas on May 4, featuring performances from Jason Aldean, Jelly Roll, Old Dominion, Lady A, Riley Green, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne and Walker Hayes.
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The festival, hosted by iHeartMedia nationally syndicated on-air personality Bobby Bones, will once again be held at Austin’s Moody Center. Meanwhile, iHeartMedia’s country music stations will broadcast the event live in their local markets and on iheartradio.com on May 4 starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Reigning CMA new artist of the year Jelly Roll notched three Country Airplay No. 1 hits in 2023, and is currently nominated for two Grammys ahead of this year’s ceremony. Old Dominion just announced the upcoming opening of their bar Odie’s in Nashville, while Jason Aldean earned his first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper in 2023 with the controversial “Try That in a Small Town.” Brothers Osborne, McBryde and Green each released new projects in 2023, while McBryde also earned the Groundbreaker award at Billboard’s Country Live conference. Hayes recently gave his 2021 smash hit “Fancy Like” a holiday remake with “Fancy Like Christmas.”
“We are so excited to bring the iHeartCountry Festival to country music fans again this year at Moody Center in Austin,” Rod Phillips, executive vp of programming for iHeartCountry said in a statement. “It’s always exciting to watch fans experience performances by so many of the top artists in our format, all on one big iHeart stage.”
“We are thrilled to offer our cardholders unique access to experience country music’s top talent at this year’s iHeartCountry Festival,” added Byron Daub, vp of sponsorships and experiential marketing at Capital One. “Country music is a big passion for our cardholders, so we are excited to offer an exclusive presale and special pre-event performance by Old Dominion.”
Tickets for the event go on sale to the general public on Jan. 26 starting at 1 p.m. ET here. Eligible Capital One Cardholders get exclusive access to presale tickets before the general public beginning Jan. 23 at 11 a.m. ET through Jan. 25 at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT (10 a.m. CT). Additionally, Capital One Cardholders can add a Capital One Access Pass to their purchase to enjoy an intimate cardholder pre-event at iHeartCountry Festival featuring a special performance by Old Dominion, complimentary light fare and beverage, and more. Supplies are limited. Eligible cardholders can also redeem rewards for exclusive ticket packages on Capital One Entertainment.
Annie Nightingale, the pioneering BBC Radio 1 DJ, has died at 83. A statement shared Friday (Jan. 12) and attributed to her family says she “passed away yesterday at her home in London after a short illness.”
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Nightingale was the first female DJ on BBC Radio 1, where she started in 1970, ultimately becoming the station’s longest serving DJ. In 2010, Nightingale entered the Guinness Book of Records as the longest serving female radio presenter, a record she still holds. Her last broadcast was in late December 2023.
“Annie was a pioneer, trailblazer and an inspiration to many,” her family’s statement continues. “Her impulse to share that enthusiasm with audiences remained undimmed after six decades of broadcasting on BBC TV and radio globally.”
“Never underestimate the role model she became,” the statement went on. “Breaking down doors by refusing to bow down to sexual prejudice and male fear gave encouragement to generations of young women who, like Annie, only wanted to tell you about an amazing tune they had just heard. Watching Annie do this on television in the 1970s, most famously as a presenter on the BBC music show The Old Grey Whistle Test, or hearing her play the latest breakbeat techno on Radio One is testimony to someone who never stopped believing in the magic of rock n’ roll.”
BBC Radio 1 also reflected on Nightingale’s career and her impact. “Annie was a world class DJ, broadcaster and journalist, and throughout her entire career was a champion of new music and new artists,” Aled Haydn Jones, Head of BBC Radio 1, said in a statement posted to BBC Radio 1’s Instagram account. “She was the first female DJ on Radio 1 and over her 50 years on the station was a pioneer for women in the industry and in dance music. We have lost a broadcasting legend and, thanks to Annie, things will never be the same.”
Born near London in 1940, Nightingale began her career as a journalist and television presenter, later launching a line of clothing shops. She first came on the BBC Radio 1 airwaves in February 1970.
Nightingale is being widely celebrated, with BBC Radio 1’s other famous Annie, Annie Mac, writing on Instagram, “What a devastating loss. Annie Nightingale was a trailblazer, spirited, adventurous, fearless, hilarious, smart, and so good at her job. This is the woman who changed the face and sound of British TV and Radio broadcasting forever. You can’t underestimate it.”
Radio 1’s Pete Tong also commemorated Nightingale, recalling that “Annie was a pioneer, a trailblazer and a role model, who possessed a relentless passion to discover and champion new & groundbreaking music. During her career Annie championed everything from prog rock and punk to acid house, techno, big beat, breakbeat, dubstep and grime.
“Annie’s always been a massive inspiration for me in the sense that she carved out the path at Radio 1,” Tong continued, “proving you could have a career in radio by just staying in your lane and specializing in championing new and exciting artists. Play what you love. She wrote the book on what music radio could be.”
Selena Gomez can’t get enough Ariana Grande. While serving as a guest DJ on SiriusXM Hits 1 Wednesday (Jan. 10), the Rare Beauty founder gushed about her love for her fellow pop star’s empowering anthems.
“Here’s another song I love, Ariana Grande,” said Gomez on the show, just before queuing up the Wicked star’s 2019 smash “7 Rings.” “I cannot do anything fun without listening to Ariana.”
“I feel so empowered and I think she is incredible, and I just have so much fun,” added the Only Murders in the Building actress. “I’m the girl that’s playing Ariana all the time, and I think people kind of notice that, but I love it! I think she’s amazing.”
Two days after Gomez’s on-air shoutout, Grande released her comeback single “Yes, And?” alongside a choreography-filled music video. The “Calm Down” singer was one of countless fans to show her excitement when the Victorious alum first teased her upcoming seventh album on Instagram in December, officially kicking off her return to music after a yearslong hiatus. (Grande’s last album, Positions, came out in 2020.)
“FINALLY,” Gomez commented in all caps under an Instagram post from Grande of pictures and videos from the studio.
Meanwhile, Gomez is also gearing up to release her next album, which she’s been teasing for more than a year. Like Grande, the Emmy nominee hasn’t dropped an LP since 2020, with Rare debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in January that year.
In September, Gomez released what’s expected to serve as her upcoming album’s lead single, “Single Soon.” The track was produced by the star’s now boyfriend, Benny Blanco, and reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Whenever it arrives, however, Gomez’s next record might be her last. “The older I get, the more I’m kind of like, I would like to find something [besides music] to just settle on,” she said in a recent interview. “I do feel like I have one more album in me, but I would probably choose acting.”
“I wanted to be an actress, I never really intended on being a singer full-time, but apparently, that hobby turned into something else,” she added at the time.
Tyler Childers just notched his first top 50 country radio hit with “In Your Love,” which peaks at No. 50 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay this week — and his longtime supporter, fellow singer/songwriter and “I Remember Everything” hitmaker Zach Bryan, offered up some thoughts on the milestone.
Bryan expressed his frustration that Childers is just now, after releasing music for more than a decade and becoming one of Americana music’s biggest artists, seeing a song break through on mainstream country radio.
On X (formerly Twitter), Bryan wrote, “‘First Ever’ is f—n insane, one of the best songwriters to ever do it.”
As several of Bryan’s fans chimed in to agree, Bryan added another statement, this time taking a shot at radio and mentioning a smash hit from singer/songwriter Walker Hayes.
“Imagine being radio (whoever the hell that is), hearing [Childers’] ‘Shake the Frost’ and being like, ‘no no let’s go with the Applebees song,’” Bryan wrote, referencing a line in Hayes’ TikTok-dance-fueled hit “Fancy Like,” which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021 and stayed atop the Hot Country Songs chart for 24 weeks.
Imagine being radio (whoever the hell that is), hearing Shake the Frost and being like ‘no no let’s go with the Applebees song’ https://t.co/8ZWuBXoBYM— Zach Bryan (@zachlanebryan) January 9, 2024
“In Your Love” is from Childers’ sixth studio album Rustin’ in the Rain, which reached No. 4 on Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart and No. 10 on the all-genre Billboard 200 last year. “In Your Love” also peaked at No. 43 on the Hot 100 in December. The song is at No. 7 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart, where Childers previously had a top 40 hit with “House Fire” and saw his song “All Your’n” reach No. 16. “All Your’n” also reached No. 46 on the Hot Country Songs chart, which incorporates streaming data.
Since Childers released his debut album, Bottles and Bibles, in 2011, he’s earned an RIAA Platinum album with 2017’s Purgatory, along with two Gold albums (2019’s Country Squire and 2018’s Live on Red Barn Radio I & II) and steadily ascended to headliner status. In 2020, Childers earned the Americana Music Honor for emerging artist of the year. This year, Childers is nominated for multiple Grammys, including “In Your Love” being up for best country song, best country solo performance and best music video.
Bryan later clarified his statement after one X commenter criticized his mention of Hayes.
“not insulting anyone! Meant it with humor not malice, different strokes different folks was just bent about the first ever on mainstream radio thing my bad,” Bryan wrote.
not insulting anyone! Meant it with humor not malice, different strokes different folks was just bent about the first ever on mainstream radio thing my bad https://t.co/3LbcCSuHAr— Zach Bryan (@zachlanebryan) January 9, 2024
This year, Bryan has had his own smash hit, “I Remember Everything,” his collaboration with Kacey Musgraves. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, has topped the Hot Country Songs chart for the past 15 weeks, and is currently at No. 28 on Country Airplay.
Bryan and Childers have been chief among several more Americana, acoustic and/or roots-oriented artists, such as Dylan Gossett, Charles Wesley Godwin and Wyatt Flores, who have seen various successes on the charts and performance fronts over the past year or so, including leading a plethora of new festivals.
Radio company Audacy has reached a deal with a supermajority of lenders for a prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy deal that will reduce its debt from $1.9 billion to $350 million, the company announced Sunday (Jan. 7). The agreement, first disclosed last week by The Wall Street Journal, will give Audacy’s debt holders equity in the reorganized company.
Chapter 11 proceedings began on Sunday in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Audacy filed a proposed plan of reorganization that incorporates the terms of the agreement with lenders. The company expects the court to hold a confirmation hearing in February and to exit bankruptcy proceedings once it receives FCC approval.
Some of Audacy’s lenders have committed to providing $57 million in debtor-in-possession financing — $32 million from a term loan and $25 million from an increase in an existing accounts receivable financing facility. The financing, along with the company’s cash from operations, will help Audacy maintain its operations and pay its employees, vendors and partners.
Once the plan is approved by the court, the terms of the current board of directors will expire and a new board of directors will be assigned. The plan of reorganization calls for the new board of directors to adopt a management incentive plan to reward employees and directors of the reorganized company. The plan will set aside 10% of new common stock for stock options, restricted stock, appreciation rights and other equity-based awards.
A 2017 merger with CBS Radio helped Audacy — then named Entercom — expand its business but also increased its debt load. The interest payments would have been more manageable in a growing business, but “the perfect storm of sustained macroeconomic challenges over the past four years facing the traditional advertising market has led to a sharp reduction of several billion dollars in cumulative radio ad spending,” David J. Field, Audacy chairman/president/CEO, said in a statement. “These market factors have severely impacted our financial condition and necessitated our balance sheet restructuring.”
The Philadelphia-based company’s portfolio of about 230 radio stations includes WCBS in New York, KROQ in Los Angeles, WFAN Sports Radio in New York and WBBM Newsradio in Chicago. Audacy’s podcasting brands include two studios, Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios, and Popcorn, an online marketplace for connecting creators and brands.
Sunday’s announcement eliminated nearly half of Audacy’s remaining equity value as the company’s share price fell 47.1% to $0.1058 on Monday. Audacy has traded over the counter since it was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in May. A 30-for-1 reverse stock split increased the share price from $0.07 to $2.13 on June 30, but the stock lost nearly all its value over the next six months as financial problems mounted.
Audacy is expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after reaching an agreement with its lenders, according to a report at the Wall Street Journal. The prepackaged bankrupcy would be financed by the lenders, who would take ownership of the radio company following the restructuring, the report said.
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An Audacy spokesperson had no comment when contacted by Billboard.
Audacy, formerly named Entercom, is saddled by $2 billion in debt acquired primarily from its 2017 merger with CBS Radio. That deal expanded Audacy’s revenue but also increased its debt nearly fourfold from $468 million at the end of 2016 to $1.86 billion at the end of 2017.
The Philadelphia-based company’s portfolio of about 230 radio stations includes WCBS in New York, KROQ in Los Angeles, WFAN Sports Radio in New York and WBBM Newsradio in Chicago. Audacy’s podcasting brands include two studios, Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios, and Popcorn, an online marketplace for connecting creators and brands.
The company sounded alarm bells in May when it warned that a weak financial outlook could cause it to default on its debt. In an SEC filing, the company said “macroeconomic conditions” such as rising interest rates and depressed advertising revenue “have created, and may continue to create, significant uncertainty in operations.” As a result, its forecasted revenue was “unlikely to be sufficient” to maintain its debt covenants.
Third-quarter revenue of $299.2 million was down 5.6% year over year and in early November its fourth-quarter revenue was on pace to decline 9% from the prior-year period. Noting the company’s “current challenges,” CEO David J. Field said Audacy was in conversation with its lenders to recapitalize its balance sheet.
In recent months, Audacy has reached agreements with a number of lenders to extend the grace periods for interest payments from a credit facility and outstanding notes.
Audacy was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange the May for violating the exchange’s rules on minimum share price. It has since traded over the counter. Although a 30-for-1 reverse stock split increased the share price from $0.07 to $2.13 on June 30, the stock lost nearly all its value over the next six months.
On Wednesday, Audacy shares closed at $0.1896 per share, giving the company a market capitalization of less than $900,000.
