Entertainment, Music - Air Force Times

Country music catches radio wave

So far, 2007 is a great year for country music ... on the radio. In this year’s first six months, country songs accounted for nearly one-fourth of radio’s top 100 songs, as measured in all formats by Nielsen BDS, Arbitron and “Radio & Records.” Country’s 24 percent share is nearly double the 13 percent it claimed at the end of 2006.

R&B/hip-hop dominates music heard on the radio, as it has since the all-format chart began in 2002, but its share is declining from previous highs above 50 percent. Last year, it commanded 49 percent of the top 100; so far this year, it represents 44 percent. Country is just ahead of pop, with rock trailing.

The impact of “American Idol” finalists, who have often met a chilly reception at radio, is notable this year: Both the top country song (Carrie Underwood’s Before He Cheats, which also crossed over to pop formats) and top rock song (Daughtry’s It’s Not Over) are from the Idol stable.

The bright picture for country fades somewhat on the sales lists. Pop artists lead the genre pack on the top 100 best-selling albums of the year, with 33 percent, trailed by R&B/hip-hop with 29 percent, rock with 20 percent and country with 15 percent. (Three multi-genre anthologies make up the remaining share.)

And pop artists own an even bigger share of the top 100 digital songs chart, with 40 percent, followed by R&B/hip-hop with 32 percent, rock with 20 percent and country with just 8 percent.

Downloading the radio hits

Radio airplay and track downloads continue their tight symbiotic relationship: Of the top 20 radio songs, half are also among the top 20 downloads. Reversing the perspective, virtually all the top download tracks were radio hits as well, though such million-download songs as “Cupid’s Chokehold” by Gym Class Heroes (No. 2 download, No. 25 radio), Maroon 5’s “Makes Me Wonder” (No. 3 and 44, respectively) and Fall Out Boy’s “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” (No. 4 and 102) had less appeal for radio audiences than to paying customers.

Those purchases allowed the top download tracks to outpace the top albums by a considerable margin. Just six albums sold more than 1 million in the first half of 2007, compared with 15 tracks (when different versions of songs are combined). Gwen Stefani’s Sweet Escape sold 1.78 million downloads, edging the year’s top album, Daughtry’s self-titled debut, which sold 1.73 million copies.

Other million-selling tracks included T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank,” Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over,” Nelly Furtado’s “Say It Right,” Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend,” Fergie’s “Glamorous,” Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats,” Akon’s “Don’t Matter,” Timbaland’s “Give It to Me,” Shop Boyz’s “Party Like a Rockstar,” Mims’ “This Is Why I’m Hot ” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella.”

Airplay genre breakdown

R&B/hip-hop

2007: 44 percent

2006: 49 percent

Pop

2007: 23 percent

2006: 26 percent

Rock

2007: 9 percent

2006: 12 percent

Country

2007: 24 percent

2006: 13 percent

— 2007 through June

Source: Nielsen BDS/Arbitron/Radio & Records top 100 songs, USA TODAY research

Top 20 airplay songs and download rank

1. Beyonci, “Irreplaceable,” Download rank: 14

2. Nelly Furtado, “Say It Right:” 7

3. Akon, “Don’t Matter:” 11

4. T-Pain, “Buy U a Drank:” 5

5. Lloyd, “You:” 80

6. Robin Thicke, “Lost Without U” 62

7. Gwen Stefani, “The Sweet Escape:” 1

8. Justin Timberlake, “What Goes Around:” 12

9. Mims, “This Is Why I’m Hot:” 30

10. Daughtry, “It’s Not Over”: 6

11. Timbaland, “Give It to Me:” 15

12. The Fray, “How to Save a Life:” 26

13. Diddy, “Last Night:” 45

14. Fergie, “Glamorous:” 9

15. Carrie Underwood, “Before He Cheats:” 10

16. Akon, “I Wanna Love You:” 58

17. Ludacris, “Runaway Love:” 66

18. Omarion, “Ice Box:” 43

19. John Mayer, “Waiting on the World to Change:” 41

20. R. Kelly, “I’m a Flirt:” 54

Source: Nielsen BDS and SoundScan, Arbitron, Radio & Records, Jan 2-July 3

USA Today research by Anthony DeBarros and Ken Barnes