Hotly-tipped US country singer-songwriter Conner Smith has garnered the number 1 spot on the first UK Country Radio Airplay Chart, with his hit song “Creek Will Rise”. Currently in the UK performing at C2C (Country To Country) Festival, the 23 year old’s single is taken from his recently released debut album Smoky Mountains (Valory Music Co.)
Speaking about his achievement following the announcement of the chart today, a thrilled Smith said: “This is one of the coolest things for me. To have the number 1 song in the UK for the first country radio airplay chart while also being here for C2C Festival, you can’t plan it any better. I’m so grateful for all the support from radio believing in this song.”
About the UK Country Radio Airplay Chart: In an exciting development for the UK's fastest-growing musical genre, Country music, the new UK Country Radio Airplay Chart was launched today. This pioneering step is a collaborative effort between global radio airplay monitoring company Radiomonitor and the Country Music Association’s (CMA) UK Task Force, a group of UK industry leaders working together on behalf of the Country industry at large. The initiative is spearheaded by Alexandra Hannaby, Head of Big Machine Label Group UK and a CMA UK Task Force member.
The first genre specific radio chart to be established in the UK, the UK Country Radio Airplay Chart will compile the Top 20 songs each week from an eligible selection of new releases up to three years old, measured by impressions (the number of people each play is heard by). Starting today, the official chart will be announced every Sunday at 5pm GMT, culminating in the number 1 Country Radio UK Airplay song of the week.
The UK Country Radio Airplay Chart includes data from the following stations and programmes (in alphabetical order): Absolute Radio Country, BBC Radio 2 - The Country Show with Bob Harris, CountryLine: The Big 615, Downtown Country Radio and Smooth Country Radio. Airplay will be measured from Friday to midnight on the following Thursday and the chart available to the public at 5pm GMT each Sunday.
