Why local acts are dominating Australian country radio right now
For the third week in a row, a local act has the most-played song on Aussie country radio.
Darlinghurst’s ‘Sorry Won’t Get You Back’ is locked in a tight battle with ‘Daydream’ by The Buckleys for the top spot on the TMN Country Airplay Chart, with the former regaining the #1 position on the most recent chart.
With Seaforth’s ‘Love That’ reaching a new peak of #3 this week and ‘Heart’ by Amber Lawrence remaining steadfast at #4, four out of the top five tracks on the chart are by Australian artists.
“We are witnessing a new generational movement towards Country music,” Triple M Digital Radio content director Adam Williscroft tells TMN.
“You are seeing country music consistently impact the wider mainstream charts, via collaboration, genre cross-pollination, and just great, well written and produced songs.”
Williscroft, who also looks after SCA’s new digital country music station Triple M Country, says the quality of Aussie country at the moment is up there with the best in the world.
“The new wave of Australian country is fresh, the production is world-class meaning it can compete sonically with what’s been delivered to us from America, and the audience is responding.”
Seaforth’s new peak comes in their track’s thirteenth charting week, with ‘Love That’ also getting spins on commercial terestiral radio on the Triple M Network and several Hit Network stations.
It’s a great achievement for the local industry, especially with the strength of US chart-toppers Luke Combs, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, Maren Moris & Dustin Lynch, who’ve ensured that American artists have spent the most time at the chart’s peak in 2019.
“Seaforth have had a great run with our audience on ‘Love That’, and there are other newer Australian releases that are also sounding great on air – Darlinghurst, Rachel Fahim and The Buckleys,” says Williscroft.
“There’s still a really strong base in more traditional country like Lee Kernaghan and Casey Barnes, Travis Collins.
“You’re seeing more contemporary sounds weave in like The Wolfe Brothers, which means Australian country music is sounding fresher than ever.”