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Randy Travis Uses AI For New Song
- Thread starter TheBigA
- Start date
A question for BigA (or anyone else who might know) -- Is AI Randy done at country radio? The song tickled the lower reaches of the airplay chart in its first week, but was gone nearly instantly. Did the label push it to radio, expecting a hit, only to be rejected, either by the programmers or the public? And was the rejection based on the artificiality of the project or because the tune was bland and generic or not an uptempo "bop" as country radio prefers during the summer?
From what I can see, they mainly used iHeart and Bobby Bones. But yes, that appears to be done.
I expect they'll come up with a repackage of old material and include that song with it later in the year.
My take is the rejection had more to do with the fact that he hasn't had a hit in almost 20 years, and he's a gold artist, not current anymore.
They may have not expected a big radio hit ( although that could have been icing on the cake) as there was enough other publicity about the song to drive digital downloads and streams. The repackage TheBigA mentioned will probably be released digitally and on physical media including vinyl.
Randy Travis will testify in congress next week about AI and radio royalties:
It'll be interesting how Randy handles this, in that his speech was impaired by a stroke. I expect his wife will speak for him. The radio royalty subject is a sore point. The quote talks about a ''loophole.'' There is no loophole. Record labels and artists were never a part of the copyright act. It's only for writers and publishers. They're asking for a completely new royalty.
It'll be interesting how Randy handles this, in that his speech was impaired by a stroke. I expect his wife will speak for him. The radio royalty subject is a sore point. The quote talks about a ''loophole.'' There is no loophole. Record labels and artists were never a part of the copyright act. It's only for writers and publishers. They're asking for a completely new royalty.
James Otto Sweet Heart
Banned
Basically, nowhere. There were enough stations playing it upon release for the song to pop into the weekly airplay top 50 --- for exactly one week, never to return.
Billboard Hot Country: 33
Billboard Country Airplay: 45
It was his highest charting song in almost 20 years.
But almost all that airplay came in the first two weeks the song went to radio, right? Was the label pushing the song hard at radio at any point? Not much of a "hit," more a curiosity.
He did an interview with iHeart's Bobby Bones, and they were the only ones playing it for that week.
It's hard for artists who are considered gold to come back to hot airplay charts after that much time.
Wait, so iHeart was the only group playing the song on their country stations for a week?
As far as I could tell, and not all of them. Maybe 25 or so.
Once again, the country format is currents-based. Randy hasn't had a hit in 20 years. So playing this song was a stretch for the format.
Although, at least up here in the northern New England sticks, the local country stations play Randy's "Forever and Ever, Amen" and "Deeper Than the Holler" as gold, so the young Kane Brown and Luke Bryan fans who listen to those stations know who Randy Travis is and what his music sounds like. Is this not the case in bigger markets?
But wasn't this a 'new' never-released Randy song? Or are only artists active in the last two years allowed to be considered current?
Looking at the most recent MediaBase airplay chart, I can see only two songs that aren't by such artists: a Garth Brooks/Ronnie Dunn collaboration and a new single by Miranda Lambert. And it's only been three years for Lambert and Brooks. I guess it is hard to get back on country radio once you've hit a lull in your career.
There are no rules. It's all open competition. That's why some iHeart stations played the song.
Last week's #1 song was by Kenny Chesney. His last big hit was 3 years ago. He's on the same label with Travis.
The question a station needs to ask is how many legends can they play in a format that's aiming at women in their 30s.
I missed Chesney, thought "Everyone She Knows" (2022) was a much bigger hit than it was. But yes, it's been three years between "Knowing You" and "Take Her Home."
People release new music all the time. Dolly Parton had her Rockstar album out last year, and the singles didn't chart in radio airplay. George Strait has a new song out, and it's not in the airplay Top 50. Terri Clark has a new duets album with a single out, and I don't see it in the airplay chart. The chart only has so many spots, and the legends are competing with the new artists coming up as well as Morgan Wallen and all the top stars. That's what makes programming a currents-based station so tough.
The Wallen, Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson solos and collaborations eat up nearly a quarter of the top 50 all by themselves!
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