Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored by Nielsen BDS, weighted to each station's Nielsen ratings.
The first number-one song was "Nobody's Home" by Clint Black.[1] The current number-one song, as of the chart dated September 4, 2021, is "Waves" by Luke Bryan.
History
Earlier versions
Throughout its history of ranking country songs by popularity, Billboard has had several different airplay-only charts to measure the top-played songs on radio stations. The first of these was called "Country & Western Records Most Played By Folk Disk Jockeys", and debuted with the December 10, 1949, issue.[2] Like the other charts of the time, the number of positions was not standardized; the chart had anywhere from eight to 15 positions, varying from week to week. The chart, which had several other names, continued until October 13, 1958, when it was merged with the "best sellers" chart to become the Hot Country Songs chart.[2]
Starting with the October 20, 1984 issue, there were separate charts for radio airplay and singles sales, similar to the Hot 100 Airplay and Singles Sales charts that also debuted with this issue, it was a component chart that helped determine placement on the Hot Country Singles chart.
The airplay chart was discontinued in 1987 as Hot Country songs became solely based on disc jockey reports, but the sales chart continued until 1989.[2]
Current chart
The Nielsen BDS-monitored country airplay chart was initiated on January 20, 1990, as a new incarnation of Billboard's long-running Hot Country Singles chart.[2] The chart replaced the previous version of the Hot Country Singles chart, which had been based on manually reported station playlists combined with weekly singles sales. At this time the chart consisted of 75 positions.[2] Four weeks later, on February 17, the chart was retitled "Hot Country Singles & Tracks".[2] Beginning with the January 13, 2001, issue, the chart was cut from 75 to 60 positions, and effective April 30, 2005 the chart was renamed "Hot Country Songs".[2]
Beginning with the chart dated October 20, 2012, Billboard changed the methodology of Hot Country Songs to also incorporate digital sales and streaming instead of airplay alone. In addition, the airplay component of the chart now factored in airplay on stations from all genres instead of the previous genre-specific radio panel. At this point the 23-year-old airplay-only chart was retitled "Country Airplay".
Chart policies
As with most other Billboard charts, the Country Airplay chart features a rule for when a song enters recurrent rotation. Starting with the chart week of December 2, 2006, a song is declared recurrent on the country charts if it has been on the charts longer than 20 weeks; is not gaining in spins or audience impressions; and is lower than 10 in rank for either audience impressions or spins. Since December 2008, any song that is ranked below #10 in spins or audience and has not shown an increase in audience or spins for more than two weeks is also declared recurrent, even if it has not charted for 20 weeks.
Chart achievements
Most weeks at number one
8 weeks
- "Amazed" – Lonestar (1999)
- "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" – Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett (2003)
7 weeks
- "The Good Stuff" – Kenny Chesney (2002)
- "Have You Forgotten?" – Darryl Worley (2003)
- "There Goes My Life" – Kenny Chesney (2003–2004)
- "Live Like You Were Dying" – Tim McGraw (2004)
- "Beautiful Crazy" – Luke Combs (2019)
6 weeks
- "It's Your Love" – Tim McGraw with Faith Hill (1997)
- "Just to See You Smile" – Tim McGraw (1998)
- "How Forever Feels" – Kenny Chesney (1999)
- "Breathe" – Faith Hill (1999–2000)
- "Ain't Nothing 'bout You" – Brooks & Dunn (2001)
- "I'm Already There" – Lonestar (2001)
- "Somebody Like You" – Keith Urban (2002)
- "19 Somethin'" – Mark Wills (2003)
- "Beer for My Horses" – Toby Keith duet with Willie Nelson (2003)
- "As Good as I Once Was" – Toby Keith (2005)
- "Better Life" – Keith Urban (2005)
- "Jesus, Take the Wheel" – Carrie Underwood (2006)
- "Our Song" – Taylor Swift (2007–2008)
- "Die a Happy Man" – Thomas Rhett (2016)
- "Forever After All" – Luke Combs (2021)
Sources:[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
Most number-ones
| Total | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | Kenny Chesney | [16] |
| 29 | Tim McGraw | [17] |
| 28 | Blake Shelton | [18] |
| 26 | Alan Jackson | [17] |
| George Strait | [17] |
Most number-ones by female artists
| Total | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Carrie Underwood | [19][20] |
| 11 | Reba McEntire | [19] |
| 9 | Faith Hill | [21] |
| 7 | Shania Twain | [21] |
| Taylor Swift | [21] |
Most number-ones by duos or groups
| Total | Duo/Group | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Brooks & Dunn | [22] |
| 14 | Florida Georgia Line | [22] |
| Rascal Flatts | [22] | |
| 13 | Zac Brown Band | [22] |
| 11 | Lady Antebellum | [23] |
Most top 10 entries
| Total | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | George Strait | [24] |
| 58 | Tim McGraw | [25] |
| Kenny Chesney | [26] | |
| 51 | Alan Jackson | [27] |
| 42 | Toby Keith | [28] |
Most top 10 entries by women
| Total | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | Reba McEntire | [24] |
| 28 | Carrie Underwood | [24] |
| 23 | Faith Hill | [29] |
| 20 | Martina McBride | [30] |
| 19 | Trisha Yearwood | [31] |
Most entries
| Total | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | George Strait | [32] |
| 94 | Kenny Chesney | [33] |
| 92 | Garth Brooks | [32] |
See also
References
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/charts/country-airplay/1990-01-20
- ^ a b c d e f g Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 7–8. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/lonestar/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/alan-jackson/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/kenny-chesney/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/darryl-worley/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/tim-mcgraw/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/faith-hill/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/brooks-dunn/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/keith-urban/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/mark-wills/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/toby-keith/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/carrie-underwood/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/taylor-swift/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/thomas-rhett/chart-history/country-airplay
- ^ Asker, Jim (July 16, 2018). "Kenny Chesney's 'Get Along' Is No 1 On The Country Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
- ^ a b c Asker, Jim (June 19, 2018). "David Lee Murphy & Kenny Chesney Set Records Atop Country Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
- ^ Mahananda, Bibhu Prasad (December 8, 2020). "Blake Shelton Country Airplay Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Asker, Jim (July 19, 2016). "Carrie Underwood Rings in 15th No. 1; Sam Hunt Earns High Five". Billboard.
- ^ "Most country no.1s for a female artist in the US". Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ^ a b c Jessen, Wade. "Carrie Underwood Has Her Longest Reign at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Asker, Jim (June 26, 2018). "Morgan Wallen 'Up' To First Country Airplay No. 1 With FGL, Who Also Top Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ Asker, Jim. "Zac Brown Band Makes History on Country Airplay Chart; Randy Houser Debuts". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- ^ a b c Asker, Jim (July 10, 2018). "Carrie Underwood Is Sitting 'Pretty' As She Links Her 27th Straight Country Airplay Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- ^ "Tim McGraw". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Kenny Chesney". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Alan Jackson". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Toby Keith". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Faith Hill". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Martina McBride". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Trisha Yearwood". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Asker, Jim (June 26, 2018). "Garth Brooks Blasts Back Onto Country Airplay Chart With 'All Day Long'". Billboard. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ "Kenny Chesney". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links
- Billboard Country Airplay chart – online version.