Is the divide between the public and country radio getting further?
Reigning ACM Artist of the Decade, Jason Aldean, has had a pretty fascinating career. With 32 #1s, 27 platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and over 51 million units sold in the U.S. alone, the “She’s Country” singer has had a career few could ever dream of.
Despite delivering some rock-solid hits over the years, namely with early tracks such as “Why,” “The Truth” and “Laughed Until We Cried,” lately, Aldean hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations in recent memory. Quite frankly, his stretch of three albums starting from 2019’s 9 to the double album, Macon and Georgia, was pretty disastrous, with the Georgia native delivering career lows on tracks such as Georgia’s autotune disaster, “Ain’t Enough Cowboy.”
After dropping Highway Desperado back in 2023, Aldean returned once again this year with his 13th studio album, Songs About Us, a lengthy 20-song record that featured his 31st #1 hit, “How Far Does a Goodbye Go,” his first-ever song with his wife, Brittany, “Easier Gone,” and a reunion with Luke Bryan on the title track.
After scoring a #1 with “How Far Does a Goodbye Go,” this week, Aldean grabbed his second chart-topper from Songs About Us with “Don’t Tell On Me,” rising from #2 to #1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. In turn, the track became his 27th #1 on the Billboard chart and his 32nd #1 overall.
With his 27th #1 on Country Airplay, the Georgia native has now passed both Alan Jackson and George Strait for fourth-most #1s in the chart’s history. Additionally, he’s furthered the gap between legends such as Brooks & Dunn and Toby Keith, as well as modern superstars such as Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs — all of whom have 20 chart-toppers.
If you take a look at “Don’t Tell On Me’s” streaming numbers, it doesn’t quite reflect how seemingly “popular” the song has been from a broad perspective. Taking a look at Spotify, the track has 11 million streams since its release on Songs About It on April 23rd. In comparison, Morgan Wallen and Ella Langley’s “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” which was released on the same day, has over 71 million streams on the platform. Despite this, it is lagging behind Aldean at #5 on Country Airplay.
While I’m not accusing Aldean and his label of payola, it’s become increasingly clear over the years that country radio has lost a lot of its luster, especially in today’s streaming-dominated era. In turn, it’s launched some fairly unpopular songs to #1. For a deeper dive on this phenomenon, read HERE.
Most #1s On Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart
- Kenny Chesney – 33
- Blake Shelton – 30
- Tim McGraw – 29
- Jason Aldean – 27
- Luke Bryan – 26
- Alan Jackson – 26
- George Strait – 26
- Thomas Rhett – 21
- Keith Urban – 21
- Brooks & Dunn – 20
- Luke Combs – 20
- Toby Keith – 20
- Brad Paisley – 20
- Morgan Wallen – 20
“Don’t Tell On Me”
Jason Aldean Tour Dates
July 16 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater^
July 17 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center^
July 18 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts^
July 23 – Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena^
July 24 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center^
July 25 – Kansas City, MO – Morton Amphitheater^
July 30 – Ridgefield, WA – Cascades Amphitheater^
July 31 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater^
Aug 14 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre^
Aug 15 – Fresno, CA – Save Mart Center at Fresno State^
Aug 22 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center#%
Aug 27 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena^
Aug 28 – Brandon, MS – Brandon Amphitheater^
Aug 29 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater^
Sep 10 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach^
Sep 11 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater^
Sep 12 – Hartford, CT – The Meadows Music Theatre^
Sep 17 – Hamilton, ON – TD Coliseum^
Sep 18 – Syracuse, NY – Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview^
Sep 19 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion^
Sep 25 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion^
Sep 26 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion^
^ with Chase Matthew, Mackenzie Carpenter and Dee Jay Silver
# with Chase Matthew and Dee Jay Silver
% with Elizabeth Nichols
