The question of whether country radio will play Beyoncé appears to have been answered
When Beyoncé came out “Texas Hold 'Em” and “16 Carriages” last week, fans and insiders alike wondered whether country songs by a black pop star would be fined by the industry's great gatekeeper, country radio. The answer appears to be “yes,” as “Texas Hold'Em” was the most added track on country stations this week, according to Mediabase data reviewed by Country Insider.
As Country Insider It is noted that 75 of the 157 reporting stations across the country have committed to “Texas Hold'Em”. So far this year, the track has received the fourth most additions on the radio impact date (the day radio programmers can add a single to rotation). Only country songs by Dan + Shay, Jelly Roll and Tim McGraw had more additions to their impact date.
As “Texas Hold 'Em” continues to swell, the number to watch is where it lands on this week's airplay charts. Beyoncé debuted at No. 54 on Billboard's Country Airplay last week and No. 50 on Mediabase.
The rise comes as Beyoncé made chart history this week, becoming the first black female artist in modern country music history to top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, surpassing Zach Bryan's “I Remember Everything” and Kacey Musgraves in the process. The Hot Country Songs chart takes into account streaming as well as radio play.
Beyoncé's two singles represent the singer's deepest foray into country music after flirting with the genre for much of her career. In particular, “Texas Hold 'Em” saw a rise in streaming and sales and is at Number Two on Spotify and Apple Music's global and US charts on Thursday. Last week the song racked up about 19 million streams in the US in total. “Texas Hold 'Em” also sold about 39,000 units, by far the most traditional sales of any song last week, according to Luminate data.
“Texas Hold 'Em” will likely repeat as the top country song on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart next week. It opened at Number Two on the Hot 100 last week and is a strong contender to dethrone Jack Harlow's 'Lovin on Me' at Number One.
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/beyonce-texas-hold-em-most-added-song-country-radio-1234973365/